Former Portsmouth striker Guy Whittingham has hit out at the refereeing standards in League One following Pompey’s 1-1 draw with Derby County yesterday.
The clash between two of the division’s promotion favourites looked to be heading for a goalless draw, but sparked into life with less than 10 minutes remaining when Portsmouth defender Regan Poole was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area. James Collins duly converted the resulting spot kick, before Colby Bishop equalised deep into added time to earn a point for the away side.
It was the penalty decision which was the big talking point from the game, with Poole certainly handling the ball. However, his vision was impaired by the defender in front of him and boss John Mousinho was perplexed by the decision to penalise the defender. Speaking after the game, the 37-year-old said;
“Regan has gone to block the cross and the ball comes off his thigh and hits his arm – you’ll have to cut his arms off because what else can you do?
“I thought it was harsh at the time and I still feel that way having seen the replay. I was baffled all afternoon by some of the decisions.”
It was a view shared by Whittingham, who called upon officials at this level to receive more training. Speaking to The News, the former Premier League star said;
“What you want as a manager is consistency and I said that during the commentary there was none – and I don’t think we are going to get any until these guys are fully professional.
“It’s a professional game, I’ve said it before on commentary. She works, referees work, they all work, there’s only the Championship and Premier League that are fully professional and unless they are fully professional you’re going to get refereeing standards like they are.
“Unfortunately, there is no way around it, you can’t blame them, they need more training, they need to be professional to get everything right because they might have had a hard week at work, feeling a bit tired, things on their mind.”
Portsmouth remain unbeaten in League One, although yesterday’s draw was their fourth of the campaign. They travel to Barnsley on Tuesday night before hosting Lincoln City next weekend.
Writer’s View
The penalty decision is one of those that you agree with if you are awarded it but disagree if it is against you. The ball certainly hits Poole’s arm, although there is little he can do about it with the defender in front of him, and it rebounds off his thigh into his hand. By the letter of the law, it is a penalty, but Portsmouth were probably good value for a point.
Pompey remain unbeaten, but they face a stern test at Oakwell on Tuesday. However, with only three goals conceded this season, John Mousinho will be confident his team can get something out of the game.
Head of Writing
