Neil Warnock furious as 'phantom goal' costs Crystal Palace (original) (raw)

Neil Warnock reacted with fury after officials in charge of Crystal Palace's match at Bristol City failed to notice Palace open the scoring after 34 minutes.

In a farcical situation which recalled last season's "phantom goal" in Reading's game with Watford, Palace striker Freddie Sears fired into the bottom corner, with the ball bouncing straight back out of the net after hitting a stanchion. As Sears raced away to celebrate, referee Rob Shoebridge consulted his assistant, then awarded a goal kick.

This season the new Europa League's group stages will feature a Uefa trial of additional referee's assistants on each goalline, an idea aimed at preventing such errors. But Warnock, who had to be restrained from remonstrating with the fourth official and on the final whistle refused to shake hands with opposite number Gary Johnson, called instead for goalline technology.

"We can put a man on the moon, time serves of 100 miles per hour at Wimbledon, yet we cannot place a couple of sensors in a net to show when a goal has been scored.

"I feel sorry for the referee because he didn't get any help. But how can I mark him after the game when he spoils a match with a mistake of that importance?

"I thought Gary Johnson and his players could have shown more sportsmanship because they knew it was a goal, like everyone else. But I'm 60 years old and maybe I expect too much.

"I have a transfer embargo on me and a group of young players working their socks off for the club. They didn't deserve that today. We were cheated. And I'm not saying that against the referee because he didn't mean to get it wrong."

Warnock's mood was not improved when Nicky Maynard struck City's 89th-minute winner from just outside the area after defender Jose Fonte had given the ball away.

Home manager Johnson was left to count his blessings: "In Neil's position, I would feel the same as he does. Sometimes as the away manager a big decision goes against you, the crowd get on your back and it's very hard to keep things under control.

"It was a goal, of course, but I don't see what I could have done about it at the time. I had my own team to think about because we weren't playing well in the first half. Neil didn't want to shake my hand and that's up to him. I can't say I was surprised after what had happened, but it's one of those things."