West Ham midfielder Mark Noble has revealed he was gutted to see Watford defender Jose Holebas sent off in the club’s final day clash due to his suspension for the FA Cup final.
The Hammers ran rampant ovn their visit to Vicarage Road on Sunday afternoon in a 4-1 win, Marko Arnautovic and Noble sharing two goals apiece to see off the season in style.
Watford had to make do without Holebas for most of the second half after he was shown a straight red card for bringing Michail Antonio down as he burst through on goal but Noble said that he did not enjoy seeing him dismissed, with the defender now banned for their visit to Wembley unless an appeal is successful.
Speaking after the game versus the Hornets to BBC’s Match of the Day (12/05, 22:30) he said: ” When the ball goes in behind he (Antonio) is so quick and strong.
“I feel bad for the lad (Holebas) because of the (FA Cup) final, does he miss that? It’s horrible to see that, worked so hard to get to the final and you can’t play in it.”
Opinion
A real show of class from Noble here, who obviously understands how important next week’s final is for the Hornets and how utterly devastated Holebas and his teammates must be. Unfortunately from the referee’s point of view it is pretty much a nailed on red – Antonio was charging through on goal with only grass and the goalkeeper between him and Holebas’ arm pulls him to the ground. It might be a soft touch but it is a touch nonetheless and so he is unlikely to find himself successful in appealing the decision. It is a real shame and you know there will be many out there who would love there to be some common sense over letting him play in the final. Whether or not he does feature at Wembley, the Hornets can be proud of their achievements this season, while West Ham have finished the campaign in perfect style. You know the Irons would love a trip to Wembley next season so maybe they should follow in the footsteps of their Premier League rivals.