COP DRAMA! Rowett puts referee in dock over penalty call
MILLWALL 1 BRISTOL CITY 1
GARY ROWETT called the ref a ‘cop-out’ for failing to award Millwall a last-gasp penalty.
Even Bristol City boss Lee Johnson admitted Andy Davies should have given a 89thminute spot-kick when Adam Nagy’s wild swing felled Jayson Molumby.
It came moments after the visitors had a penalty claim for handball by Jake Cooper waved away.
Pedro Pereira fired City into a 10th-minute lead with what proved to be their only shot on target.
Matt Smith (inset) claimed Millwall’s 51st-minute leveller which was credited as a Tomas Kallas own-goal.
Rowett had no doubt it was Smith’s goal and that his side should have taken all three points after a rip-roaring second-half performance. He said: “We put them under the cosh and just that final ball, final moment whatever it is – the referee doing his job properly – would have ended in a fair result, which is us winning the game. For me Jayson gets the ball and their player hacks him down in the area and the referee said to me afterwards I think they both jumped for the ball.
“For me it is a cop-out of a reason. It is not the reason. It is not the real reason. If you do not give it, give me a reason why you did not give it as it means a lot to us to try and win the game.”
Johnson made six changes from what he labelled the worst performance under him at Huddersfield on Wednesday in what was the Robins’ successive defeat.
The point at the Den brought a run of four defeats to an end and moved the Robins to within two points of sixthplaced Preston.
Johnson said: “The way I picked the team was based on players who have been with us
MILLWALL BRISTOL CITY 4 ........ Shots on Target .......... 1 8 ........ Shots off Target .......... 1 5 ................ Corners ................. 7 14 ................. Fouls .................. 16 1 ................ Offsides ................ 0 66.3 . Passing Success ..... 67.1 365 ...... Total Passes ......... 371 51 ............ Possession ........... 49 56.0 . Territorial Adv%...44.0
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a while and understand exactly how I want to play so there were no excuses.
“You come to Millwall on a boggy pitch you are going to expect balls in the box and I think we limited them to one corner in the firsthalf which was a sign of how well we pressed.
“We’re starting from one of our worst performances since I’ve been here so to go from that level, to that identity, desire and quality, that’s a big jump in three days.”
Pereira gave City a flying start when he drilled in Jay DaSilva’s cross from 14 yards.
Tom Bradshaw glanced a header wide and Smith stung the palms of City keeper Niki Maenpaa, who was making his first league start of the season in place of the injured Dan Bentley.
The hosts started the second half strongly and levelled when Connor Mahoney’s corner was bundled over the line by a combination of Smith and Kallas.
Suddenly the Den was in full cry. Mahoney’s low cross was deflected into the side netting by Pereira.
Shaun Hutchinson’s header across the goal was nodded wide by Bradshaw who then bundled his way past three defenders before shooting into the side netting.
Referee turned down Andreas Weimann’s penalty appeal when his 81st-minute cross struck Cooper, stood five metres away, likewise when Molumby hit the turf.