Behind The Whistle: Former Premier League referee Chris Foy explains the latest EFL decisions

In Behind the Whistle, former Premier League referee Chris Foy goes through a selection of key match decisions from the latest action in Sky Bet League One and League Two.

Behind the Whistle aims to give supporters of EFL clubs an insight into the decision-making considerations and also clarification of certain calls to provide an understanding of how the laws of the game are interpreted.

As part of a regular feature on Sky Sports following the conclusion of a matchday, Foy will be here to run you through some refereeing matters in the EFL...

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Sky Bet League One

Crawley 3-5 Shrewsbury

Incident: Possible Shrewsbury penalty for holding

Decision: Shrewsbury penalty awarded

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Foy says: "The decision to award Shrewsbury Town a penalty here is the correct one and highlights the threshold for holding that has been implemented throughout the 2024/25 season so far, with sustained and impactful holding actions being penalised.

"As the ball is played into the penalty area by Mal Benning, Crawley Town's Toby Mullarkey is clearly holding his opponent, the impact of which means he's prevented from having a clear run at the ball.

"As the holding is sustained and impactful, the referee shows no hesitation in pointing to the spot and cautioning Mullarkey."

Sky Bet League Two

Chesterfield 2-2 Notts County

Incident 1: Possible offside for Chesterfield's goal

Decision: Chesterfield goal awarded

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Foy says: "As Chesterfield's Will Grigg converts the header from close range, it looks as though he is offside on first watch. He drifts towards the back post and looks initially to have mistimed his run.

"However, we can see from the replay that as the initial header comes in from Chesterfield's Tom Naylor, the trailing leg of Notts County's Lewis Macari is playing Grigg onside.

"With the picture moving so quickly and with so many players inside the penalty area, the assistant referee shows exceptional awareness and judgement and correctly keeps his flag down."

Incident 2: Possible Notts County penalty for handball

Decision: Penalty awarded

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Foy says: "In my opinion, it is very harsh to award a penalty kick for handball here, as the ball strikes the arm of Chesterfield's Liam Mandeville from close range having been clearly played by a teammate.

"Although the left arm is making the 'body bigger' the ball is clearly played by a teammate from close proximity, so for me, the correct decision here would've been to allow play to continue."

Tranmere 0-2 Bradford

Incident: Possible Bradford penalty for handball

Decision: No penalty awarded

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Foy says: "By means of a comparison to the handball incident at Chesterfield vs Notts County, this is another case of a player's arm being raised and the ball hitting it accidentally.

"In this case, the ball bounces up and hits Bradford City's Richard Smallwood on the arm from close range. As the arm was raised by means of a defensive action, his arm position is justifiable given his action.

"The referee correctly identifies that it does not meet the considerations for a handball offence, and no penalty kick is awarded."

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