By Keith Hackett

30th May, 2022 | 5:29pm

Ex-Premier League referee: Oliver Hawkins should be getting extended ban as controversial Mansfield Town footage analysed

Keith Hackett has praised Jarred Gillett for his performance in the League Two play-off final on Saturday (28 May) as Mansfield Town were beaten 3-0 by Port Vale.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee claimed Gillett got the decision to send Oliver Hawkins off after two yellow cards was “spot on”.

The 30-year-old was initially cautioned after 30 minutes with his side already 2-0 down before he was shown a second yellow just five minutes later.

Hawkins will now serve a one-match ban for Mansfield Town at the beginning of next season as a result but Hackett has claimed he may have been fortunate not to have shown a straight red for the second challenge.

A straight red would have seen him slapped with a three-game suspension.

“Gillett got this spot on, the second one was close to a straight red,” Hackett said after analysing the footage with Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.

“Jarred Gillet is an impressive referee. He’s got the foundation of quality, he’s neutral with his body language, and he moves pretty well into good viewing angles.

“I think he’s been a terrific addition to the Premier League. The only thing I can be critical about is, based on this performance and others, this guy should have more appointments.

“He had nine this season, that wasn’t enough for this particular referee. It doesn’t matter where he’s coming from, Australia, judge him on his performance.

“The question we have to ask now is, is it Gillett’s intention to stay in England or go back to Australia?

“Gillett was a Fifa referee before in Australia. The English FA should be considering putting his name forward for Fifa stays but that will be dependent on what he intends to do.”

In other news, Steven Gerrard is facing the Aston Villa sack after a ‘huge’ claim.