“I had two perfectly good goals against Man United disallowed so I was taking this one” – Chelsea legend Alan Hudson on his famous ghost goal

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We’ve seen some crazy incidents of ‘ghost goals’ down the years – moments when the ball looks so much like it’s hit the back of the net that the referee awards the goal by accident.

Sometimes you have to say “fair enough”, such as an incident involving Stefan Kiessling for Bayer Leverkusen a few years ago.

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To refresh your memory, watch below as Kiessling’s header does genuinely end up in the goal, the only problem is it’s via a hole in the side netting!

Many of us would have got that wrong if we’d been in charge, without the benefit of VAR that, for all its flaws, would now sort it out.

Former Chelsea midfielder Alan Hudson, however, is not so sympathetic of the match officials, even though he was on the receiving end of a hugely fortuitous decision himself back in his playing days.

See below for this bizarre moment as Hudson scored for the Blues against Ipswich Town in 1970, with the ball quite clearly hitting the side netting before then falling to the side of the goal, something which, as Hudson points out, would have been impossible if it had actually gone in.

Still, the ex-England international also had some bad luck in this department in the past, so insisted he was taking it!

“The ‘Goal that never Was’ should have been something that changed refereeing forever and you only had to see the reaction of those Ipswich players,” Hudson tells CaughtOffside.

“The goal itself was an incredible mistake. If you look today, sometimes the ball smashes into the side netting and the ball ges behind the goal, and you might be fooled that it went in. But this angle showed it could not possibly have gone in because of the angle it came back out.

“But it seems refereeing has deteriorated in a big way despite technology and all that goes with it. I have been saying for years that it now the Man in Black and not the players who settle matches.

“Being a gambler, we used to have three options when laying a bet, taking into consideration that it was win, lose or draw – but now it’s win, lose, draw and referee – four options.

“I recall walking away quite pleased with the effort, because, having a bad ankle, I didn’t strike balls like that very often.

Alan Hudson during his Chelsea days

“I remember walking away and Webby (David Webb) jumping on me saying ‘tell him it wasn’t in’. I said, ‘Are you kidding? We’re on £30-a-point, that’s my night out in Alexandre tonight. I also recall Peter Osgood walking away laughing all over his face while the Ipswich players surrounded the referee.

“I had two perfectly good goals against Man United (that season) disallowed so I was taking this one. Against United I scored when we were 2-0 up Old Trafford and beat Alex Stepney from the edge of the box through a crowded penalty area but the Man in Black gave Peter Houseman offside, who was standing in Manchester High Street! And at the Bridge I ran along the goal-line beating a couple of players before slipping into his near post. It could not possibly have been offside, but it was ruled out.

“I am not one for believing things even themselves out because matches are of different importance, so that’s that.

“As for the performance of referees they used to make excuse of being amateurs in a professional game, but they are not today, therefore they have no excuses.”

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