Bad calls cost us, fumes Jones

DANIEL JONES believes referee Iain Williamson got all the key decisions wrong in Athletic’s 2-1 defeat at Leyton Orient.

The on-loan left back was convinced the O’s penalty should not have been given, claiming Dean Morgan ran into Reuben Hazell.

“If you watch the DVD you will see that Reuben did exactly the same two minutes later and the referee never blew up,” he said.

As for Athletic’s penalty appeal, Jones believed Chris Taylor was fouled.

He said: “Chris was in front of the lad (Charlie Daniels), who took his legs from underneath him. There was no reason for him to go down as he was through on goal.”

Jones admitted it is a sign of how things are not going their way at the moment.

He said: “We played very well and got the ball out wide, where we can cause teams trouble.

“We got the ball into the box and caused them problems all over the pitch.

“They were never in it and the referee has changed the game. We feel let down and it is hard to take.”

Manager Joe Royle endorsed the comments of Jones, saying: “I hate criticising referees, who have a hard job, and I always try to be supportive of them.

“Instead of complementing the game, his performance has influenced the result which is a shame.

“I don’t know what he was doing when he gave Orient their penalty and then failed to give us one, and you cannot account for decisions like that, but poor decisions have affected the outcome of the game and we feel cheated.

“Of course they are defining moments in the game as they equalised with one penalty and then we were denied one.

“The lad (Dean Morgan) pushed the ball past Reuben and it was going out of play and he ran into him. You don’t blame the player, but you do the referee for naivety.

“Chris Taylor was clear in their box and was clipped from behind. He had no need to go down and the referee has seen it.

“I am told he gave two penalties against us at Peterborough so perhaps he doesn’t like Oldham and may be he has had a bad holiday there.”

Royle was delighted with his side’s first-half display saying the young strike pairing of Lewis Alessandra and Deane Smalley were a handful in the opening period.

“We played well in the first half when there was youth, pace and energy about us, and we looked like a top-six side.

“We never quite got going in the second half, but there is much to be pleased about the first half. We need to do that for 90 minutes.”