FRANKLY, BEES ARE UNHAPPY

Brentford boss says Vaulks should have seen red

THOMAS FRANK slammed referee Simon Hooper and his match officials after he refused to give Will Vaulks his marching orders.

The Bluebirds midfielder escaped punishment for kneeing Christian Norgaard in the head when Brentford were 2-0 up before going on to spearhead a stunning comeback.

And the Bees’ head coach branded the Premier League officiating team as ‘soft’ after their lack of action extended his side’s winless run to five matches.

He said: “He put his knee down – he forced it down in the grass. I think there is still a hole down there.

“I like Neil Harris very much – we have a very good relationship and I am looking forward to having a cold beer with him. He said ‘yes it’s a red card’. Vaulks after the game – I said ‘you are a very good player and I know you are not a player like that’ as he’s not a dirty player.

“But this one was a red card. The fourth official, linesman, too soft, they saw it 100 per cent.”

Brentford looked to be coasting to victory after silencing the Cardiff crowd with two goals in 20 minutes. It took only five minutes for Luka Racic to calmly put the Bees ahead with his first senior goal after Henrick Dalsgaard’s header fell at the feet of the defender.

And things looked bleak for the Bluebirds after Junior Hoilett rushed back towards his own goal and fouled Emiliano Marcondes on the edge of his box.

Bryan Mbeumo stepped up and curled a left-footed freekick over the wall and past Alex Smithies to make it 2-0.

Vaulks should have been sent after he appeared to have used his knee to connect with Christian Norgaard’s head, who had slid in for a well-timed tackle.

But instead he went on to spearhead the fightback.

It was Vaulks’ pass that played Albert Adomah in behind the defence on the right flank before he curled the ball in for Hoilett to get across Mbeumo and head in.

And the unlikely turnaround was complete in the final minute of the first period after Sean Morrison flicked Vaulks’ long throw on for Ralls to outmuscle Josh Dasilva at the back post and nod home the equaliser on his first start for two months.

Hoilett looked to have won a late penalty after Ethan Pinnock tripped him in the box, and Cardiff manager Neil Harris was left equally as raging with the referee.

“I try and keep a calm head but the decisions tipped me over the edge,” said Harris. “It makes you not want to work with referees and help them develop.

“It’s a clear-cut penalty and they have to get those decisions right. That’s the difference between us winning the game.”