Bohemians manager Keith Long was furious after the referee’s refusal to award his side a penalty during their loss to Shamrock Rovers last night.
Rovers’ forward Rory Gaffney put the home side ahead in the 25th minute, before Bohemians had a contentious penalty shout in the 41st minute when Kris Twardeck appeared to be pulled down in the box by Lee Grace.
— (P) Killian (@Molloy_00) March 12, 2022
Rovers v Bohs - Keith Long Angry At Officials
Keith Long let rip to reporters after game, criticising not just the referee Rob Hennessy but the general standard of officiating in the league.
"It was a penalty. You guys saw it as well as I did. We shouldn't be bemoaning the referees but we are again, unfortunately. We want the league to improve, to prosper; we want to raise the bar and raise the standards, look at the stadium tonight, a full house, rocking, a great stadium, and this is the example for every other club to aspire to.
"But we shouldn't come away talking about the decisions of the officials. It's not really acceptable at this point. I'm in the league a long time, you guys have been on the circuit a long time, and I don't think this debate will ever end, really. Referees are human and they have to make decision on the spot-
"There's no doubt we missed Promise tonight. Any team would miss his physicality, his power, his pace, his quality. He is coming on leaps and bounds and we missed him tonight, again as a result of a shocking decision last week where the referee is conned a little bit, with opposition players feigning injury.
"I'm writing the headlines for you, but we want the league to prosper and the standards to improve and the levels of officiating needs to improve. Rob is one of the best referees in the country. Ben Connolly, the (fourth) official, they are good lads, but tonight, in my view, they got the decision wrong."
The standard of officiating in the League of Ireland is a regular talking point on Saturday mornings. However despite Long’s protestations, the clip of the incident does not make it abundantly clear who dragged down whom. One could argue that Twardeck was equally at fault.
Bohs were without the brilliant Promise Omochere, who missed the fixture because of receiving a dubious second yellow against Finn Harps last weekend. John Dodge's take on refereeing in the League of Ireland in his column on Monday remains essential reading.
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