'You have to be certain': Rob Green keeps his GK-Union card active on Match of the Day - claims Joe Willock's goal didn't cross line

Newcastle United scored a controversial goal to draw things level on Saturday after Birmingham City took a shock early lead.

It was a very scrappy game in all on Saturday, a real old-school FA Cup tie between sides leagues apart. It was full-blooded as the lower-league team opted to kick the crap out of the Premier League side, as is tradition. As a fan of the Premier League side in question, it was difficult to watch at the time, but for the neutral, we're sure it was a quality spectacle.

What wasn't so quality was the goal that Joe Willock scored to bring parity to the scoreline. Indeed, Callum Wilson's follow-up goal to make things 2-1 was hardly one for the hall of fame either, but they all count.

But, should Joe Willock's goal have counted? That one is still up for debate.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell thought he'd kept the ball out

Birmingham 'keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell looked to have kept Joe Willock's shot out before the Newcastle midfielder fired over the rebound, but the linesman on the far side flagged that the ball had crossed the line, and the goal was given. In the absence of any goal-line technology, we can't be certain that the ball fully crossed the line.

Former goalkeeper Rob Green was adamant on Match of the Day that the goal should not have been given.

“Great save and you can’t say it was a goa. We saw Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s reaction from it - he got pumped. He knew he’s saved it and you don’t know.

“As a referee’s assistant, you cannot say that this is a goal. You are not sure. Everybody has watched this time and time again, you cannot say for certain that is a goal. You have to be certain. The assistant referee can’t have been certain.”

Joe Willock was again involved in a controversial decision regarding the ball crossing the line

The irony of it being Joe Willock embroiled in a controversy of whether a ball crossed the line is not lost on me. In fact, I haven't checked, but I wonder if the Arsenal fans are canoeing on a river of tears again as they suffered a similar decision that benefitted Joe Willock.

I've seen the replays and the freeze frames, and while the angles shown definitely show the ball having crossed the line, we have to remember that Arsenal controversy and how the camera can play tricks.

I honestly believe that had we had goal-line technology in play yesterday, we'd see that not 100% of the ball was over the line. But there was no such technology in place, the goal stood and Newcastle went on to win, so you won't hear me complaining.