POTM & red card: Arsenal loanee’s rollercoaster week | OneFootball

Arsenal’s Maldini Kacurri has experienced the highs and lows of non-league football in quick succession this week, after receiving a red card on Saturday.

Photo via Morecambe FC on Instagram

Following a strong debut performance in Morecambe’s win over Wealdstone last weekend, Arsenal loanee Maldini Kacurri shone in an otherwise disappointing display against Halifax Town in midweek.

Though his team lost the match 2-1, Kacurri was impressive, even receiving Morecambe’s Player of the Match award for his individual performance.

“We’re very disappointed,” Kacurri said afterwards. “We had a lot of control over the game, we need to be more resolute at the back but we’re looking to bounce back straight away on Saturday, the lads are raring to go.”

Photo via Morecambe on Instagram

Sadly, things didn’t quite go that way for the Arsenal defender. Facing a Truro City side also languishing towards the bottom of the National League table, Morecambe found themselves 1-0 down after 24 minutes.

A comeback wasn’t impossible, particularly with Morecambe scoring four goals in two of their previous three league games. But over the next 20 minutes Kacurri twice brought down Dominic Johnson-Fisher, receiving yellow cards on both occasions.

Just 42 minutes into the match, Morecambe were down to 10 men, and Truro City ran riot in the second half to win 5-0.

Photo via FSHF.org

The only positive is that an indirect red card only means a one-game ban, and with Morecambe currently trying to get through a raft of previously-postponed fixtures, Kacurri will have served his suspension by Tuesday night.

Whether the manager allows him straight back into the starting lineup away to Tamworth next Saturday remains to be seen, but you’d hope he’d understand these incidents are part and parcel of a young player’s loan spell.

Kacurri has only ever received one red card in more than 50 appearances for the Arsenal academy and first team, so he’ll aim to keep it an uncommon occurrence.