THE Galpharm Stadium pitch has been under the microscope since the turn of the year, but on Tuesday, the hot topic of debate was balls!
That’s because Colin Webster, the man in the middle of the Town-Millwall match, changed from white to orange for the second half.
The Tyne and Wear official, who gave the game the go-ahead despite pretty thick fog, thought the switch would make life easier for players and officials alike.
“At one time, fluorescent balls were used throughout the winter months, but that seems to have gone out of the window,” said Ritchie.
“The referee came into the dressing room at half-time and asked if we had any objections to the switch, which we didn’t.
“Having handled the ball, however, I thought it seemed a bit lighter than the white version, and some of the players said it travelled through the air differently.
“It’s strange, because the only difference is meant to be the colour, but it was the same for both sides, so we’ve no complaints.”
The match was settled by Luke Beckett’s 29th-minute penalty, and Ritchie thought Zak Whitbread, who committed the foul on Town’s 10-goal top scorer, was lucky to stay on the pitch.
“I’m not one who wants to see players sent off, but my interpretation of the rules was that he should have had a red rather than yellow card,” said the Town boss.
“The referee said there were two other defenders present, but I thought they were well behind where Luke was.
“And in any case, Whitbread should have been booked for an earlier foul.”
