Fans ask for 'ref cam' to be introduced after seeing footage of Harry Wilson's pre-season screamer

Footage of Harry Wilson's screamer for Fulham in their pre-season clash against Brentford has emerged from the 'body cam' of referee Peter Bankes – and fans want to see it become a permanent addition to the game.

Fulham recorded an entertaining 3-2 win over Brentford on Sunday as goals from Harry Wilson, Bobby Reid and Carlos Vinicius sealed victory at the Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia.

Marco Silva's side took the lead with less than three minutes on the clock through Wales international Wilson, who cut inside and struck a vintage left-footed strike into the far corner.

Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken had no chance between the sticks. In fact, referee Peter Bankes caught Flekken rooted to his spot on his much-talked about 'ref cam'.

That's right. Bodycam footage shows what a goal looks like from the referee's point of view and after the clip emerged online, fans want it to be introduced to the Premier League this season. What do you think?

Here's how social media reacted to the above footage.

One fan said: "Imagine the potential production value. Would also be cool for post match analysis with referees," while another commented: "Give me a referee bodycam every week please."

A third wrote: "All VAR decisions should be based on this camera angle and frame rate."

A fourth said: "Not for general replays throughout the game, but this is a great idea for VAR. That way we can have a referees’ views of incidents to judge whether some are clear and obvious errors."

A fifth added: "Such an easy thing to add that would bring so much value."

Back in February, a trial of the use of referee body cams took place across four selected adult grassroots football leagues in England after permission was granted by the International Football Association Board [IFAB].

Image credit: Twitter/Premier League

The aim of the trial was to explore whether the use of body cams improves participant behaviour and respect towards referees in the grassroots game.

Approximately 100 grassroots referees sported the equipment while officiating adult grassroots football matches.

"Referees are the lifeblood of our game and we thank the IFAB for their support in allowing us to undertake this new grassroots bodycam trial, the first of its nature globally," said Mark Bullingham, who is the FA's chief executive.

"We've listened to feedback from the referee community, and we hope this trial will have a positive impact on the behaviour towards them – so that ultimately they can enjoy officiating in a safe and inclusive environment."

Would you like to see body cam footage in the Premier League and beyond in the coming weeks and months?

Let us know in the comments.

Topics: Fan Reactions, Premier League, Fulham, Brentford, England

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_