John Bannon: Conal McGovern dismissal harsh

In recent years, lots of people, including myself, have been looking for linesmen and umpires to get more involved in assisting referees with making disciplinary calls.

However, the umpire call in yesterday’s game in Celtic Park resulted in a harsh sending off for Down’s Conal McGovern.

McGovern may have raised his hand to push off Enda Lynn but the Derry player went to ground very easy. The umpires made the decision from 45 metres away and with it the momentum of the game changed. There is no reason to push another player around the head area. It’s a red card in soccer but in this instance it was unfair on McGovern.