Game gets heated as Coach Williams is thrown out following Huskies’ red card

The same ground, the same teams and the same result. Nearly a month after the Humber Hawks defeated the George Brown Huskies 4-1 at Centennial Park, the Hawks prevailed again by the same score on Oct. 12.

Humber made their intentions clear within the first 10 minutes, when Hawks star forward Marcos Nunes broke through George Brown’s defence and assisted on Michael Aigbokie’s first goal of the season. Six minutes later, Jaineil Hoilett joined the scoreboard as the Huskies backline had no answers to Humber’s attack.

A dejected George Brown let another slip through as Marcos Nunes tapped one into the goal, leaving goalkeeper Aris Efstathiadis fuming at his defenders while the Hawks went up 3-0.

Tensions soared when Huskies head coach John Williams began voicing angry concerns over the referee speaking to a Hawks player in another language. Soon after, Huskies midfielder Jesse Oliver scored a free kick, the first goal Humber goalkeeper Karman Singh has conceded all season.

The celebrations were short-lived, however. Within the next two minutes of play, a hard tackle called in favour of Humber led Huskies defender Robert Mijackovic to share some harsh words with the referee. The result was Mijackovic being ejected with a red card.

Not one bit pleased with the decision, Williams continued arguing with the ref until being sent to the stands. With tempers rising in both camps, the second half was all about venting it out. Among tackles, fouls and yellow cards galore, the Huskies never looked to be closing the scoreboard gap. Nunes continued his great form with a second tally on the night and eighth of the season, putting the Hawks up 4-1 by the 50th minute.

Unsurprisingly, both camps had differing views on how the game unfolded. To Nunes, the Huskies lost focus. “They got unlucky with the red card,” Nunes said. “It was good refereeing, but a lapse of concentration from their players cost them the game.”

Hawks head coach Michael Aquino credits George Brown as an athletic, organized competitor. When it came to the performance of the officials, Aquino didn’t have an issue.

“The refereeing was just and fair,” Aquino said. “The red card was a bit unfortunate. As players, they have to keep their composure and that player went at the ref, lost his composure.”

George Brown’s side had a different point of view. While Oliver believes the team should forget this loss, the Huskies goalscorer was left frustrated by the game’s officiating.

“The referee just wasn’t good enough. I was trying my best not to be sent off”, said Oliver. “He did a bad job. Humber are national champs so they’ll get the close calls.”