Dickov’s chance to state refereeing case

BRIDGES will be built tonight when Paul Dickov meets up with Football League referee manager Dave Allison.

Athletic's boss feels crucial decisions have gone against his side recently — none more so than at Stevenage and Rochdale.

A pair of what appeared to be blatant handball shouts in the penalty area have been denied in those two away fixtures.

The first denied Athletic the chance to tee up an equaliser from the spot deep into added time, while the second could have handed Dickov's team a half-time lead at Spotland.

Add to that the controversial non-award of Connor Hughes's last-gasp header at Rochdale — disallowed for either a push, or offside — and it is clear Athletic have legitimate ground for grievance.

"To be fair to Dave, when he looks at the decisions I think he will be just as upset as we are because he wants referees to get the big decisions right," Dickov said.

"Once he sees them, he will agree with me."

Allison has indicated in the past that he is keen to create an open dialogue, including players and managers, over refereeing decisions.




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