Notts County head coach Stuart Maynard believes there should have been a foul awarded to his side in the build up to Alassana Jatta’s red card during their play-off semi-final first leg defeat against AFC Wimbledon last night.
The two sides met in the first leg at Meadow Lane, with the Magpies hoping to gain an advantage to take to the capital next week. A string of good saves from both goalkeepers kept the score down, but it was the visitors who took the lead just before the hour mark through Riley Harbottle.
County pressed for an equaliser and came close when Jodi Jones struck the post. However, they suffered a huge blow in added time when Jatta was shown a straight red card for a two-footed lunge on Alistair Smith.
Replays showed that contact was minimal and that the 26-year-old was having his shirt pulled shortly before the incident. The referee remained undeterred though, dismissing the attacker despite huge protests from his teammates.
Maynard Makes Subtle Dig
Maynard was pictured reacting angrily to the decision on the sidelines, although was careful with his words in the aftermath. Speaking after the game, the 44-year-old said:
“I’ll take a look at the sending-off again and then we’ll see if we do anything.
“The thing is, though, if he’d got a free-kick just before when his shirt was round his neck then I don’t think he’d have had to go in like he did.
“I think everyone has seen what’s happened and that’s the only comment I’m going to make on it.”
As things stand, County’s top scorer will miss the second leg at Plough Lane which is scheduled for next Saturday.
Writer’s View
It’s not the first time this week that referees have come under scrutiny, but the decision here is probably the correct one. It’s fair to say that Jatta barely connected with the Wimbledon player but going in with two feet off the ground is always asking for trouble. County will feel aggrieved though, especially because the striker was certainly being fouled seconds before the incident. However, that will not be taken into account should they launch an appeal. As things stand, losing a player of his quality for the second leg is a huge blow and one that could cost them a place at Wembley.
