ROOFE: I WON’T CAVE IN
Striker remains unrepentant for ‘arm’ goal: It’s up to ref to call it
REF: ATT: KEMAR ROOFE has pleaded not to be slated for his handball goal.
The Leeds striker refused to apologise, insisting he acted on instinct when bundling home a late equaliser with his right arm.
Roofe has scored six times in nine games, despite boss Marcelo Bielsa saying his side “missed 10 goals”.
His leveller kept Leeds in the top two, after a fierce game buoyed by a fantastic Elland Road atmosphere.
It has been quite a week for Roofe, who became a father again and has been putting his hands to good use changing nappies all week.
He said: “What do you want me to do? Go to the referee and say that it shouldn’t be allowed.
“The ball came across and I anticipated it and yeah, the ball hit my arm. The arm was by my knee and I just hit it.
“It’s the same with other decisions, free-kicks and penalties. Some you get and some you don’t.
“It’s up to the referee to make that decision. I’m just there to play the game.”
Roofe (left, being congratulated by Jack Clarke) praised Leeds for grinding down Forest’s well-organised defensive resistance.
He added: “It’s been one of the craziest weeks for me – the birth of my second child, no sleep, three games in a week and two goals.
“The baby was born on the 25th, she’s a girl – name still undecided. I’ve got a
unique name, so the children are going to have unique names as well. Sleep-wise I’m in the spare room! But it’s all good.
“I’ve got enough sleep in and prepared right for games!”
The Championship promotion race is fascinating. Leeds missed the chance to go back on top and there will be plenty of ups and downs before May.
Roofe said: “I think that’s why everyone likes this league. Everyone’s dropping points. Some teams are causing surprises by getting points and climbing the table. We’re still up there, so we must be doing something right.”
Forest were impressive and narrowly missed creeping into the top six after Jack Robinson’s headed opener.
Boss Aitor Karanka says rivals now know this is not the “Forest of recent years”, but a team ready to compete for the play-offs.
That is a good job because Forest players were given a pep talk last week by owner Evangelos Marinakis, who wants a return on his investment. And that means getting to the Premier League.
Scorer Robinson said: “The owner made it clear that it’s promotion or nothing for us, so we’ve all got that same goal.
“It’s about coming out on a Saturday and a Wednesday and getting the performances to get those three points.
“It was like meeting any other owner. He’s positive. He’s put a lot of money into it, so there’s a lot of ambition coming from him and with the results we’ve been getting, he’s not happy. We’ve got to improve quickly.”
LEEDS: FOREST: I’ve