Liam Roberts may not have sprinted out of his box to claim Jean-Philippe Mateta’s head and the ball, but motive does not matter. Millwall’s goalkeeper put himself in a position to cause serious harm and he did so.<br /><br />It was a challenge so reckless, it left Crystal Palace’s striker requiring 25 stitches and reading the evening menu of London’s St George’s Hospital.<br /><br />Mateta has since been discharged and, though he is likely to miss several matches — starting with the visit of Ipswich on Saturday — it could have been much worse. Fatal, if you believe the Premier League club’s chairman Steve Parish.<br /><br />The FA now have a decision to make on whether Roberts should be slapped with a suspension longer than the standard three games for violent conduct.<br /><br />As of yesterday, they had not made up their mind as to the 30-year-old’s challenge meeting the ‘truly exceptional’ threshold. They have until 1 pm tomorrow to submit a claim of ‘clearly insufficient’ punishment and, if they do, a regulatory commission would hear the case.<br /><br />Judging by the comments of Millwall manager Alex Neil, Roberts’ club will fight their corner if it comes to that.
