Leyton Orient’s Wellens Criticizes Referee After FA Cup Victory Over Harborough Town
Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens expressed concern over the physicality of non-league adversaries Harborough Town following his team’s commanding 5-1 win in the FA Cup on Saturday. Wellens claimed that referee Alan Young failed to penalize several “below the belt” tackles that left some Orient players nursing injuries.
Speaking to BBC Radio London, Wellens stated, “The only downside is we might have a couple of injuries because some of the tackles were below the belt.” He noted that the referee initially allowed a couple of fouls to go unpunished, which he believed set a dangerous precedent, leading Harborough players to think they could push the limits further.
Wellens defended his players, remarking, “Their manager is saying ‘you’re professional and we’re non-league’ – that doesn’t mean that I can’t protect the players from tackles that I believe are high [and] a bit reckless.” He emphasized the importance of player safety, especially as the match neared its conclusion. “For the last 20 minutes, I’m thinking ‘just get my players off the pitch in one piece, get through to the next round and we move on,'” he added.
Additionally, Wellens described the physical stature of the opposition, saying, “You look at the size of their team, it’s like land of the giants, and when they made subs, they didn’t get smaller, they got bigger.” He noted that set pieces represented Harborough’s primary threat, stating, “I don’t think they were ever going to score from open play. But they stuck in there, they tried their very best.”
