Former Bristol Rovers striker John Marquis is set to miss out on a second appearance against the Gas this season after receiving the quickest sending off in English professional football history in Shrewsbury Town’s 3-1 defeat at Peterborough United on Saturday afternoon.
The 32-year-old was shown a straight red card just 13 seconds into Salop’s clash at the Weston Homes Stadium, deemed to have elbowed Sam Hughes when challenging for the ball. He will subsequently be suspended for Tuesday night’s clash between Rovers and Shrewsbury at the Croud Meadow.
However, the decision and how early into the game it was made came under scrutiny with Shrews head coach Gareth Ainsworth saying to the media post-match: “I don’t think it’s a red card that early on. John’s tried to put his arm across the centre-half rather than leading with his arm and whack the centre-half, and that’s two different things.
“You’ve got to use your common sense and think, ‘okay it’s a bit dangerous, yellow card’. Not a straight red. It’s tough for the referees, I know that, but come on.”
Marquis has scored nine goals for Shrewsbury across all competitions so far this season, eight of which in League One, and is their top scorer, making his absence a blow for Salop.
The striker made the move to Shropshire on a free transfer last summer following his release from Rovers. Marquis spent two seasons at the Mem, scoring 17 goals in 84 appearances.
Two other players joined Shrewsbury from the Gas last summer in academy graduate Luca Hoole and midfielder Jordan Rossiter. The former is expected to start against his former side while the latter is currently on loan at National League outfit Oldham Athletic.
With both teams in the third tier relegation battle, Tuesday night’s game is extremely significant with Shrewsbury eight points from safety with 12 games remaining while the Gas are just two points clear of the relegation zone with 13 matches to go.
Discussion about this post