Ollie has a spot of ref rage
IAN HOLLOWAY bemoaned a controversial penalty decision that cost his QPR team victory over Bristol City.
Rangers took the lead through Aden Flint’s own goal, before referee Andrew Madley awarded a spot-kick for a push on Flint that Bobby Reid converted to ensure the points were shared.
Bristol City drop to fourth, while QPR remain in 18th, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Holloway believes his team was on the wrong end of another harsh penalty decision.
“We feel bitterly disappointed,” he said. “We had the better of the first half and got ourselves in front. My lads cannot understand what he’s given there.
“They’ve got some big boys in there in [Nathan] Baker and Flint. If it’s Baker then it’s the harshest thing I’ve ever seen and if it’s Flint then it is plain wrong.
“I’m fully expecting to get yet another letter from the Referee’s Association saying, ‘We are ever so sorry that wasn’t a penalty’.”
The Robins came into the game following an impressive midweek League Cup quarterfinal victory over Manchester United and had the better early chances, with a long-range shot from Korey Smith forcing Smithies into a low save.
However, QPR soon gained control and took a deserved lead when former Robin Luke Freeman’s inswinging free-kick flew in off Flint to open the scoring.
Almost immediately, Bailey Wright flashed a volley over from a corner, but the visitors couldn’t conjure an equaliser before the break.
Early in the second half Bobby Reid fed Josh Brownhill but the midfielder could only watch his header bounce back off the post and Flint then saw a header from the resultant corner hacked off the line.
Fielding had to be alert to palm away Pawel Wszolek’s halfvolley as Bristol struggled to develop any momentum in what was rapidly becoming a heated affair.
With time running out, Hordur Magnusson’s curling free-kick was superbly pushed away by Smithies.
With ten minutes to play Bristol were handed the hotlydisputed penalty, as captain Flint appeared to be felled in the box following Magnusson’s long throw.
City’s top scorer Reid was able to calmly dispatch the penalty past Smithies to restore parity.
Matt Smith nodded wide in injury-time and Reid’s deflected strike had Smithies scrambling, but neither team could find the winner, and Bristol City boss Lee Johnson praised the resolve of his players in salvaging a draw. “I want to tell you how much I am in love with my players because to produce that, especially after the energy expenditure from the Manchester United game and particularly in the last 30 minutes, is simply outstanding,” he said.
Johnson pinpointed a secondhalf tactical switch that saw centre-back Flint move up front.
He added: “It was quite obvious we needed a platform.
“We worked on Aden up front in training because we needed that plan C.
“It was an option we needed and it was effective. We could have scored three or four in that last half-an-hour.
“I can only focus on the positives because it’s amazing what my players are doing.”