Nolan in a rage as ref denies Notts big victory

Notts County boss Kevin Nolan was furious with referee Gavin Ward for costing his side victory in the 1-1 League Two play-off semi-final first-leg draw with Coventry City.

Marc McNulty (pictured) controversially drew the Sky Blues level from the spot with three minutes to play after referee ruled that Matt Tootle had tripped Tom Bayliss.

But TV replays showed the Magpies defender won the ball cleanly.

Notts looked to be heading for a valuable first-leg lead after Jonathan Forte opened the scoring in the 49th minute with a cheeky finish.

It came after they had been forced to ride their luck during a pulsating first half which saw Coventry hit the post twice.

City also saw Jack Grimmer and McNulty go close with headers either side of the visitors’ opener. Former Newcastle midfielder Nolan said: “The game has been taken away from us by a poor refereeing decision. Our lads have done fantastic to get in to that position. “We knew it would be tough with the conditions and we should be coming away with a 1-0 win – the ref has made a howler.

“The decision upset me for seven or eight minutes after the penalty and I lost my head. That’s why my assistant is there to calm me down.

“We have to make sure that this does not affect us in the second leg.

“We would have taken 1-1 before the game, but it is very disappointing for us now.”

The second leg is at Meadow Lane on Friday.

Lincoln drew 0-0 with Exeter in their first leg at Sincil Bank. The return is on Thursday. Imps boss Danny Cowley said: “We’ve had to come through a lot in the last three weeks in terms of injuries. We’ve really struggled with the balance in our team.

“Neal Eardley and Michael Bostwick wouldn’t have been more than 75 per cent fit. The fact they were willing to put the team before themselves and come through as well as they did shows what they’re all about.”