Bruce full of frustration despite late leveller



Posted Sunday, September 16, 2018 by PA

Bruce full of frustration despite late leveller

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce criticised referee Stephen Martin for missing a “stonewall penalty” after his team grabbed a stunning stoppage-time equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw at Blackburn.

Bradley Dack looked like marking his 50th Rovers appearance with the winner, after his 76th-minute close-range flick – his fifth this term – looked to settle matters.

But Conor Hourihane, brought on immediately after the Dack goal, ensured spoils were shared with an emphatic 25-yard free-kick in the third minute of time added on, which helped Villa avoid a third successive defeat for the first time since February 2017.

However, that was not the only drama in the game. Rovers had a goal ruled out for offside that looked marginal, while the Villa bench were furious that a penalty was not awarded in the first half after John McGinn went down.

And Bruce, who praised his team’s resilience, labelled the decision as “ridiculous.”

He said: “It would have been unjust if we hadn’t have got something out of it, that’s for sure. We’ve had a stonewall penalty turned down.

“I know it’s a hard job but he (Martin) has missed a blatant one hasn’t he? It’s two penalties, is what we say.

“Especially when McGinn is six, eight yards out. What does he want to fall over for? And if he thought he was falling over, why didn’t he book him? It’s a ridiculous decision, but there you go.

“I don’t just think we didn’t deserve to get beaten – it would have been unjust if we had have been. For me, we deserved to win it. We had the better chances, but we didn’t take them. With that, comes frustration.

“We’ve had one or two opportunities, didn’t take them, but again there’s still a resilience about them. It shows there’s still belief amongst the players that we’re doing the right thing.”

Blackburn have now gone a full year since losing at home in the league, stretching back 24 games.

Despite this, boss Tony Mowbray was also critical of Martin for awarding the free-kick that led to the goal, although he was pleased with the spirit shown by his side.

He said: “We asked questions of them, but we have to accept that they scored a brilliant free-kick, albeit we didn’t really get the wall lined up properly – but a brilliant strike from someone we know has that quality.

“It’s a big disappointment but put the point in the bag and move onto the next game.

“I don’t think it was a free-kick for the goal. I thought the boy’s bought the free-kick. They’re both shoulder to shoulder and he’s thrown his legs away and the referee needed to be stronger.

“It’s all in hindsight now. Let’s be proud of the fighting spirit that was there today.

“I’m disappointed for the fans that we couldn’t get over the line and get the three points but I think if that’s the standard all year of this team, I think we’ll be OK.”

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