Skip to content

Warnock - Ref is a "disgrace"

Image: Warnock: Ref rap

Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock has slammed referee Michael Oliver after his side slipped to a 4-3 FA Cup defeat at Watford.

Ref row overshadows Hornets' stinging performance

Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock has slammed referee Michael Oliver after his side slipped to a 4-3 FA Cup defeat at Watford. Warnock was livid after the 23-year-old disallowed a Jose Fonte header midway through the second-half and feels some Championship referees are too young. Another young referee Stuart Attwell infamously awarded the "phantom goal" at Vicarage Road earlier this season and Warnock wants more experienced referees in charge. He said: "The disallowed goal was a disgrace. There was no push and you didn't know then that it could have mattered. "It was 4-1 at the time but if that stands we could have had a draw. "I find it difficult to understand how they give referees Championship football at 23. "Stuart Attwell was the same and they are sprinting before they can walk. I don't see how they can have the understanding of the game at that age. "The way they are going he will be in the Premier League next year.

Good referee

"We are pushing young referees because we haven't got a great group at the top. Young referees should have experienced linesman and I was hoping for a Premier League referee today. "His dad Clive is a good referee and he will hopefully learn from him." The row overshadows Brendan Rodgers' team's spirited performance. Jay DeMerit lashed an unstoppable volley home to put Watford ahead after a corner was poorly defended before Jack Cork guided a header in to cap a fine counter-attack. Clint Hill's header early in the second half dragged the Eagles back into it but strikers Will Hoskins and Grzegorz Rasiak scored fine goals after the break. That looked to have sealed victory, but a brace from Paul Ifill in the dying minutes ensured a nervy finish. Warnock added: "If you defend like we did for the first two goals you will lose against a Sunday league side. "I thought we could have won it if we scored first after the break and we got the goal but we didn't go on. "We were 4-1 down and it was amateurish. They scored from two corners and two breakaways and we should have been more professional."
Crunch game
Watford assistant manager Dean Austin believes the Hornets can use the win to move away from the relegation zone in the Championship. Despite the win, Austin believes they must improve their defending ahead of the crunch league game with Burnley on Tuesday. He said: "We need to use this as a platform. The Cup is not a hindrance for us, it's our first win in a while and we can work from here. "You know with Neil's teams that they will put you under pressure and they did that. "They were never going to lie down and die because Neil Warnock would not accept that. "We know there are goals in this team and we scored some excellent goals today but the problem all season has been conceding too many at the other end."

Around Sky