The night Salford’s goalkeeper was sent off: Max Crocombe’s red card at Bradford (2017)
The Salford goalkeeper sent off at Horsfall Stadium on 28 October 2017 was Max Crocombe, dismissed with about three minutes left of a National League North match his side led. Salford City won 2-1 away at Bradford Park Avenue, but the story that travelled was the red card, one of football’s stranger dismissals: Crocombe was caught short and relieved himself beside a stand, and the referee, alerted by his assistant, sent him off. The aftermath drew more notice than the win, from a steward’s repeated warnings to an apology from Crocombe and a spectator’s complaint reported to the police.
Salford City were then a sixth-tier club run by former Manchester United players, which is part of why the story travelled at all.
Key Facts
- Date and venue: Saturday 28 October 2017, Horsfall Stadium, Bradford, in the National League North, then English football’s sixth level.
- Result, home team first: Bradford Park Avenue 1-2 Salford City, an away win for Salford.
- The dismissal: goalkeeper Max Crocombe shown a straight red card for relieving himself by a stand.
- Timing: the dismissal came in the 87th or 88th minute, with about three minutes left.
- Bradford Park Avenue secretary Colin Barker said a steward warned Crocombe twice; a spectator later made a formal complaint and the police were informed.
- Context: Salford City, owned since March 2014 by the Class of 92, went on to be crowned National League North champions that 2017-18 season.
Watch More Football History
The Football Documentary Channel
A red card nobody had a template for
The Salford goalkeeper sent off in the closing minutes
Salford City were on the road at Bradford Park Avenue, leading 2-1 with the match almost done. Crocombe was caught short in the closing stages and left the pitch to relieve himself rather than wait for the dressing room, going to the side of a stand rather than against a post. His assistant referee spotted it, flagged, and the referee produced a straight red. Bradford Park Avenue confirmed on their own match feed that the goalkeeper had been sent off for urinating during the game.
The red card came in the closing stages, in the 87th or 88th minute, with about three minutes remaining. It changed nothing on the scoreboard: Salford saw out the win, with an outfield player presumably taking the gloves for the final moments, and left Yorkshire with three points and a headline they had not planned.
Two apologies and a police report
Bradford Park Avenue’s version came from their club secretary, Colin Barker. He said a steward had told Crocombe twice not to do it, that the goalkeeper had gone to the side of the stand, and that the referee sent him off after being alerted by his linesman. Barker added that one of the club’s spectators had lodged a formal complaint and that the police had been informed. Crocombe answered on Twitter the same day, saying he had been in a very uncomfortable position
and had made an error of judgement, and apologising to both clubs and both sets of supporters. No charge or further action is recorded, and the referee is not named.
Crocombe’s dismissal fits none of the usual grounds a goalkeeper goes for: a professional foul as the last defender, a rush of blood outside the box, dissent, or a second booking. Answering a call of nature does not sit anywhere in that catalogue, which is why the wire services picked it up at all. For a division whose crowds rarely broke four figures, it was the sort of story that reached readers who could not have placed Bradford Park Avenue on a map.
The sixth-tier club with a top-flight backstory
Class of 92, National League North
Part of the reason the story carried was the badge on the away shirt. The Class of 92 completed their takeover of Salford City in March 2014, the ownership group made up of Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. Investment from the Singapore billionaire Peter Lim let the club go full-time. The former United players were, in effect, a set of footballing mavericks reassembled off the pitch, and their side climbed fast. By the autumn of 2017 Salford were in the National League North, two divisions below the Football League and, on this particular Saturday, missing a goalkeeper for the last few minutes.
The wider season did not wobble. Salford City were champions of the National League North in 2017-18, going up a level after losing the previous season’s play-off semi-final to FC Halifax Town on penalties. The climb continued: in 2018-19 Salford reached the English Football League for the first time, beating AFC Fylde 3-0 in the play-off final at Wembley. Set against all that, a red card for a goalkeeper caught short in late October is a footnote, which is exactly the register it belongs in.
| Season | Division | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | National League North | Play-off semi-final lost to FC Halifax Town on penalties |
| 2017-18 | National League North | Won the title and went up (the Crocombe red card fell this season) |
| 2018-19 | National League | Promoted to the EFL, beat AFC Fylde 3-0 in the Wembley play-off final |
Who Max Crocombe was
Crocombe was not a journeyman non-league keeper. A New Zealand goalkeeper, born on 12 August 1993, he had come through Oxford United before his move to Salford City, so he was 24 on the day of the sending off. His career kept moving afterwards. He became a New Zealand international and worked his way through the English divisions from Salford through Grimsby Town and Burton Albion to Millwall. The red card at Horsfall never defined him, though it is the first line a search still tends to return.
Horsfall Stadium itself helps explain the mechanics. It has been Bradford Park Avenue’s home since 1996, holds 3,500, and has a single main stand running alongside the pitch. On a ground with one stand and stewards close to the touchline, a goalkeeper stepping away to relieve himself was never going to go unnoticed, which is precisely how a steward came to warn him twice.
READ MORE: More football oddities and anniversaries in our On This Day series →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Salford Goalkeeper Sent Off in 2017
Which Salford City goalkeeper was sent off for urinating on 28 October 2017?
Max Crocombe, Salford City’s goalkeeper, was sent off during the National League North match at Bradford Park Avenue on 28 October 2017. He was dismissed for relieving himself beside a stand in the closing minutes. He was a former Oxford United player who had joined Salford City in 2017.
What was the score when the Salford goalkeeper was sent off at Bradford Park Avenue?
Salford City won the match 2-1. Written home team first, that is Bradford Park Avenue 1-2 Salford City. It was an away win in the National League North. The red card came very late and did not change the result. Salford held on to take all three points.
Where was the match played and in which competition?
The match was played at Horsfall Stadium in Bradford, Bradford Park Avenue’s home ground, in the National League North. That division was the sixth tier of English football. Horsfall Stadium holds 3,500 and has a single main stand. Bradford Park Avenue have played there since 1996.
In which minute was Max Crocombe shown the red card in 2017?
Contemporary accounts place the sending off in the 87th or 88th minute, with about three minutes remaining. Either way, it came in the final stages of the match.
Why exactly was the Salford goalkeeper sent off rather than booked?
The referee showed a straight red card after being alerted by his assistant. Bradford Park Avenue secretary Colin Barker said a steward had warned Crocombe twice not to do it. The specific offence code the referee recorded is not known, and the referee is not named.
Did Crocombe urinate against a goalpost or by a stand?
Crocombe went to the side of a stand, not against a goalpost. Club secretary Colin Barker said the goalkeeper had gone to the side of the stand.
What did Max Crocombe say after the 2017 sending off?
Crocombe apologised on Twitter the same day. He said he had been in a very uncomfortable position and had made an error of judgement, and he apologised to both clubs and both sets of supporters. He framed the incident as a mistake that had spoiled a good away win.
Was the incident at Bradford Park Avenue reported to the police?
Yes. Bradford Park Avenue secretary Colin Barker said one of the club’s spectators had made a formal complaint and that the matter had been reported to the police. No charge or further action is recorded, and at the time the complaint was still awaiting an outcome. The reaction was as much about a spectator’s offence taken as the football.
Who owned Salford City at the time of the 2017 red card?
Salford City were owned by the Class of 92, the former Manchester United players. The group that bought the club in March 2014 was made up of Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. The Singapore businessman Peter Lim also invested, letting the club go full-time. That ownership is why a sixth-tier red card drew national coverage.
How did Salford City’s 2017-18 season end after this match?
Salford City were crowned National League North champions for 2017-18 and were promoted. The red card in October was an early-season footnote to a title-winning campaign. Salford had lost the previous season’s play-off semi-final to FC Halifax Town on penalties. The 2017-18 title took them up to the National League.
What happened to Max Crocombe’s career after Salford City?
Crocombe’s career continued well beyond the incident. The New Zealand goalkeeper, born on 12 August 1993, went on through Grimsby Town and Burton Albion to Millwall. He became a New Zealand international. He had joined Salford City in 2017 after his time at Oxford United.
Is it unusual for a goalkeeper to be sent off for something like this?
Yes, very. Goalkeepers are normally dismissed for a professional foul as the last defender, handling outside the box, dissent or a second yellow card. A red card for urinating during a match falls outside that usual list, which is why the story travelled well beyond the sixth tier. It remains a rare entry in the catalogue of goalkeeper dismissals.
Did Salford still win the match despite the red card?
Yes, Salford City won 2-1 despite losing their goalkeeper late on, an away win at Horsfall Stadium. The dismissal came with roughly three minutes left, too late to affect the outcome. Salford saw out the closing moments with ten men and an outfield player in goal.
The Salford goalkeeper sent off who kept climbing
A late red card in a sixth-tier match would normally vanish by Monday, but the mix of a Class of 92 badge, a goalkeeper caught short and a police report kept it alive, and Salford went up as champions anyway. For more anniversaries and curiosities like it, keep exploring our On This Day archive.
Sources: ESPN, Sky Sports, NBC Sports, The Comeback, Football Club History Database, Football Ground Guide.
Watch More Football History
The Football Documentary Channel
