Shrewsbury Town's striker John Marquis experienced the ignominy of receiving the fastest red card from the start of a professional football match in English history during his team's League One match against Peterborough United. He was sent off after just 13 seconds of play, equaling the previous record set by former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Kevin Pressman back in 2000 for handling the ball outside the area.
Marquis's unfortunate dismissal occurred immediately after Shrewsbury kicked off. Following the initial pass, he caught Peterborough defender Sam Hughes with his elbow, leading referee Martin Woods to show him the red card without hesitation. This marked the first red card of Marquis's career for four years.
While there have been instances where substitutes were red-carded before the game officially began, Marquis's sending off stands as the fastest from the start of play. The world record for the fastest red card from the beginning of any top-level football match is thought to be 10 seconds, held by Bologna’s Giuseppe Lorenzo against Parma in 1990.
Despite being reduced to ten men so early, Shrewsbury managed to put up some resistance; only eight minutes after Marquis's sending off, Tayo Edun scored for Peterborough from his inswinging corner. His shot found its way directly past Shrewsbury goalkeeper Jamal Blackman, who failed to make the necessary stop.
Soon after, though, Shrewsbury found their footing when George Lloyd was fouled inside the box, earning his side a penalty. Mal Benning converted this penalty, equalizing the score at 1-1. Unfortunately for Shrewsbury, this brief moment of joy was fleeting; just ten minutes before the halftime break, Malik Mothersille restored Peterborough’s lead, tapping home Abraham Odoh's cross, putting the hosts up 2-1.
The second half saw Shrewsbury fighting hard to level the match again but with limited attacking capability due to their one-man disadvantage. Morgan Feeney kept the team's hopes alive by denying Odoh's attempt when he cleared it off the line. Steer, the goalkeeper for Peterborough, also made notable saves throughout the match, including one against substitute Jordan Shipley.
For Shrewsbury, the situation became increasingly desperate as they sought to overcome the numerical disadvantage. Although they showed resilience, they could not capitalize on their moments of control. Just as it seemed Shrewsbury might have found some momentum, Chris Conn-Clarke sealed the victory for Peterborough with his first goal for the club during the ninth minute of stoppage time, bringing the final score to 3-1.
This defeat for Shrewsbury marks their 21st loss of the season, leaving them at the bottom of the League One standings, eight points adrift from safety and setting them up for potential relegation if they cannot turn their fortunes around quickly.