Referee Nick Walsh gave the gifted teen a straight red, which infuriated Michael Stewart.
Referee Nick Walsh came under fire from former Hearts footballer Michael Stewart for dismissing wonderkid James Wilson.
Just 38 minutes into Hearts’ pivotal Premiership match against Dundee United, referee Walsh sent off the young striker, who made his Scotland debut in the Nations League loss to Greece last month.
Jim Goodwin’s Arabs would go on to win 1-0 thanks to a Sam Dalby goal, but ex Jambo Michael Stewart was left fuming at the decision to show the 18-year-old red for a late challenge on Luca Stephenson. Speaking on Premier Sports, he shouted: “Get a grip. Get a grip!
“That’s just not a red card for me. The ball is there to be won, he’s sliding in. You need to have a bit of recognition that you can’t slide in and be physically completely on the ground.
One could say that the incident constituted ‘endangering a player.'” You may say that based on a lot of incidents. It’s just not a red card, in my opinion. Upon rewatching, it is evident that the player was given a foul and a yellow card. For that, do you have to send him off? I don’t personally believe so.
The sport of football involves contact. You may argue that the gamer is in danger in a lot of situations. You’re putting yourself in risk when you enter the football pitch. Does that imply that we simply don’t play? No! Yes, there is enough there for a referee to award. Football fans, however, would prefer not to see that as a red card.
However, not everyone had that impression. Allan Preston told the BBC, “When I first saw it live, I thought it was red. I’m afraid you can’t get away with it these days.”
Neil Critchley, the manager of Hearts, expressed no disapproval of the decision, stating: “I felt it was a bit of a naïve challenge and mistimed. Going to ground has a natural follow-through, and James is most likely a little late and intoxicated. That will teach him.
