Mahon - Officials not getting crucial decisions right
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Last Sunday extratime.ie spoke to Pat Scully and heard how he was far from happy with some of the big decisions made by the referee during his sides game against St Pat's [see previous article]. Less than a week later the manager of another eircom league Premier Division side has come out and questioned the standard of referring decisions.
On Friday night at the Belfield Bowl, UCD manager Pete Mahon saw a penalty given against his side for the fifth week in succession. Goalkeeper Matt Gregg had saved the previous two but he couldn't prevent Killian Brennan from equalising for Bohemians. The Students had taken the lead just ninety seconds earlier through a Pat McWalter header.
Mahon was none too pleased with referee Richie Winters' decision and subsequently got himself sent off for complaining and protesting. He is now likely to earn himself a four game touchline ban.
Speaking to extratime.ie after the game Mahon said "I really let myself down. That's five weeks on the trot a penalty has been given against us. I had no problem with the penalty against Rovers the week before last, and last week in Cobh I had no problem".
"That was never a penalty tonight and then to add insult to injury Glen Crowe tells us he fell over the ball. These are crucial decisions and we're depending on the officials to get the crucial decisions right, that's all, nothing else, everybody makes mistakes, I make mistakes, but the crucial decisions are killing us".
Mahon was quick to point out that the latest installment in the UCD penalty saga was not an isolated incident and that the big decisions have been going against his side right from the start of the season - "We had a situation here in the very first game against Derry, it was a blatant handball against Clive Delaney - but it wasn't given? We went down to Cork then. Never a penalty - John O'Flynn dived in the box and the referee gives a penalty? These are crucial decisions and its disappointing".
Mahon was also unhappy that the referee appeared to book the wrong player in the first half when Bohemians midfielder JP Kelly was sent tumbling just outside the UCD box. Referee Winters booked UCD captain Conor Kenna for the foul however it looked as if his centre back partner Brian Shortall actually made the tackle and committed the foul.
