Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
RICKETTS
DONOVAN RICKETTS, one of Jamaica's home grown England-based players, on Saturday came face to face with one of the uglier sides of the game when he was racially abused and then sent off for responding with an "abusive gesture" in a game that ended 1-1 with Southend.
According to a report on the League One club's website, the 28-year-old Ricketts was sent off after teammate Steven Schumacher had given Bradford City a 1-0 lead over Southend in the 34th minute at Roots Hall and the big Jamaican shot-stopper "gesticulated to the home supporters behind the goal".
Bradford's coach Collin Todd, who brought another Jamaican Ricardo Gardner to Bolton Wanderers, demanded more consistency from the officials following Ricketts' ejection.
"That's crazy. All he did was to put his index finger up to indicate 1-0, this after being racially abused a few minutes beforehand by one of their fans," Todd was quoted as saying on the club's website.
"There has to be more consistency from the match officials. Players are always celebrating towards fans when goals are scored and at the most they only get a yellow card, and this only if they go over the by-line.
"On this occasion Donovan had abuse hurled at him by some idiot and his reaction was merely to shrug it off and he threw his arms out sideways.
PUT UP A FINGER
"Then when we went in front he turned and put a finger up to indicate we were one up and got sent off for it by someone who obviously did not see the whole series of events," continued Todd in defence of the goalkeeper, who is currently on a two-year contract at the club.
Todd was not the only one at the club defending Ricketts as club secretary Jon Pollard indicated that there will be an appeal launched on the player's behalf.
"We have appealed to the Football Association over the dismissal and as Essex police have confirmed that a Southend United supporter has been arrested we would hope that the FA see that there has been an injustice and Donovan's sending off be rescinded in time for him to play in the Cup replay with Barnsley on Tuesday," said Pollard, emphasizing the player's importance to the club's fortunes.
At one point in the season Ricketts had conceded just one goal in 594 minutes of action and had claimed six clean sheets despite missing nine games through injury.
His form had Todd raving: "Donovan has everything going for him because of his height. He is agile, composed and his starting positions are good.
"He's beginning to be very sure of himself from playing regularly," continued Todd, who also praised Ricketts for being very vocal in goal.
Prior to representing Bradford, Ricketts, the first Jamaican-bred goalkepeer to earn a professional contract in Britain, was on the books of Premiership club Bolton Wanderers. Locally he represented Galaxy F C (Clarendon) and Village United (Trelawny).
