Cardiff v Gillingham 2003 - Anyone at this game?

"In light of Edgar Davids's red card at the weekend, has a player-coach/player-manager ever been sent off while playing, then while serving a playing ban but still on the bench been sent to the stands?" asks Ian Burnett.

The first incident occurred when Hessenthaler's Gills side travelled to Ninian Park to face Cardiff in September 2003. The player-manager named himself among the substitutes for the visitors in south Wales and watched on as his side fell 3-0 behind to the Bluebirds inside 35 minutes. The third goal, scored by Robert Earnshaw after Gillingham's players mistakenly stopped playing believing the referee had awarded a free-kick, slightly annoyed the visiting manager.

"The goal stood so I went mental," he told the Sun. "I had a go at the fourth official and when he called the ref to the dug-out, I was off. I asked: 'What about me coming on as a player?' and the fourth official said there was nothing in the rules to stop it. So I trotted down the tunnel – but then our kit man drags me from the dressing-room.

"We were 3-0 down and my first-team coach Wayne Jones – who was now in charge of the side – wanted me on straight away as sub. I was all kitted up so I trotted back out, my number was held up and I was on the pitch. Even Cardiff manager Lennie Lawrence was laughing because he couldn't believe what was happening."

With 10 minutes to go Hessenthaler was booked, but he survived the final few minutes on the pitch to avoid going into the record books as the first player-manager to be sent off twice

I was there that day, wasn't he playing until recently before that season anyway...I just assumed he was on the team sheet.

Yes

I was there. Strange one as no one could explain why he was allowed on the pitch after being sent off as manager/coach. But he was named as a substitute so they allowed it.

Did we win 5-0 with an earnie hat-rick?

Did we win 5-0 with an earnie hat-rick?

think he scored 4 didnt he?

here you go


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 083926.stm

Cardiff: Alexander, Weston, Vidmar, Collins, Barker, Robinson, Boland, Kavanagh, Langley, Earnshaw, Thorne. Subs: Margetson, Bonner, Bowen, Croft, Gordon.

Gillingham: Brown, Hills, Ashby, Cox, Hope, Southall, Nosworthy, Shaw, Spiller, King, Sidibe. Subs: Hessenthaler, Saunders, Wallace, Perpetuini, Bossu.



team lineups.

Look whos upfromt for gillingham!

I was there. It was my daughters first ever CCFC game.