Ex-PL referee reveals why Bristol City star got 'lucky' v Birmingham City - It could have been worse | OneFootball

Dermot Gallagher has commented on the incident between Anis Mehmeti and Tomoki Iwata

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher feels that Anis Mehmeti escaped a potential retroactive ban after he appeared to push Tomoki Iwata in the face in Bristol City's 1-0 win over Birmingham City last Saturday.

Bristol City picked up their third consecutive win in the Championship against the Blues. A Sinclair Armstrong effort minutes before the end of the first half was all that separated the two sides, as Gerhard Struber's Robins climbed back up to fourth.

However, things could have been set up for a more nervy end, as Mehmeti possibly escaped a red card for an altercation with Iwata on 66 minutes.

The two were given yellow cards for coming together, and the matter was closed. But Gallagher feels that the Albanian could have seen red during the game, and even then, faced a ban afterwards, if things weren't dealt with at the time.

Speaking on Ref Watch, former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher reviewed the weekend's talking points, including the incident between Mehmeti and Iwata, which saw the pair booked.

Mehmeti appeared to raise his hands into the face of the Japanese midfielder after the two went head-to-head, but that part had missed the eyes of the referee and his officials.

"He gets lucky that the referee is dealing with another incident," Gallagher said.

"The assistant is probably on the halfway line, and he's fed him the info that there has been a clash, and he needs to book them both.

"They've got lucky because by booking them, it's been dealt with. If this went to the FA, he might well face a charge of violent conduct."

Bristol City dodged a bullet with Anis Mehmeti, yellow card decision

Mehmeti is truly coming into his own under Gerhard Struber this season. The 24-year-old already has five goals and three assists in the opening 12 games as the Robins look to go from strength to strength after making the play-offs last year.

Keeping Mehmeti on the pitch will be vital for Bristol City's ongoing promotion charge, but perhaps he should have been sent for an early shower against Birmingham for an incident that Struber will want the 24-year-old to iron out immediately.

Losing him for a needless instance of violent conduct for three games would have been a big blow for Bristol City, as the Albanian has been a creative spark so far this term, and they wouldn't want to lose him for any games, especially one against Stoke City this coming Saturday.

Mehmeti has dodged a bullet, it seems here, and he'll be wise to stay in the referee's good books for the upcoming games, as there will definitely be an extra focused set of eyes on him this weekend to ensure he doesn't do anything similar again.