Michael Flynn was frustrated with two key decisions which he felt cost Cheltenham Town a goal and a penalty against Bradford City.
The Robins had the ball in the back of the net after just two minutes, but the linesman called George Miller’s strike as offside. Later on, the referee turned down appeals for a penalty when the ball struck on-loan Barnsley man Jack Shepherd’s arm.
Flynn Vents On Flashpoints
City took the lead through defender Neill Byrne, knocking his header into the net eight minutes into the match. They were quickly pegged back by a 30-yard strike from Luke Young and despite pressure from both sides, it ended in a stalemate.
Speaking to the press following the match, Flynn was annoyed at those two key decisions. He said (Quotes via Telegraph and Argus):
“I’ve watched back the ‘offside’ goal and we should have had a penalty.
“George is not offside. Then the defender’s arm was in an unnatural position, so the first half, we’ve had an injustice done to us.
“I thought Bradford were the better team second half and I am not taking away from that, but George is onside when the ball is played and it was a penalty.”
Cheltenham did have a good spell of play for much of the first half, putting past poor performances against Barrow and Swindon Town behind them. The playoff-chasing Bantams did have control for the majority of the second half, but a resolute performance from The Robins’ defence held on for the point.
Writer’s View
When decisions go against your side, you would be rightfully asking if they were correct and Michael Flynn has done that here. As much as he can rightfully appeal for those decisions, Bradford City will feel aggrieved with decisions such as the call to award a free kick instead of a penalty for Lewis Richards. Nevertheless, it was a well-earned point for Cheltenham Town against a strong side and they can take that confidence into a game where three points are fully on the cards when they play Carlisle United.
