Bolton manager Phil Parkinson has revealed that he believes Glenn Whelan should have also been sent off during their Saturday clash against Aston Villa.
Steve Bruce’s side secured a 1-0 win over the Wanderers in their Championship showdown with a goal courtesy of Jonathan Kodjia’s penalty shot.
Villa went down to 10 men in the fourth minute of stoppage time after left-back Neil Taylor was shown red by referee Jeremy Simpson for his challenge on Adam Le Fondre.
Parkinson thinks that Aston Villa should’ve already been down to 10 men in the first-half of the match after Glenn Whelan fouled Bolton midfielder Jem Karacan.
Karacan was brought off in the second-half because of the effects of Whelan’s challenge and Parkinson made his views on the situation very clear.
“I’ve discussed it with the officials – Whelan’s was a reckless challenge, putting it mildly,” the Bolton manager said after the game, as quoted on the Bolton News website.
“Jem has got stud marks all the way down his thigh. I think Whelan was lucky to stay on the pitch,” he said.
“The second one, he was out of control, even though it was last minute it was a dangerous challenge. But I thought the first one was one which could have affected the game more.”
Steve Bruce stated that he wanted to appeal Neil Taylor’s red card following the match as the defender is likely to receive a three-match ban unless it’s overturned.
OPINION
It’s understandable that Phil Parkinson is frustrated by the decision to simple book Glenn Whelan rather than award him a red card as it would have completely changed the dynamic of the game and perhaps even the outcome. It is unlikely that the Bolton boss’ comments will faze Steve Bruce and his squad as they will be focussed on moving further up the Championship table and continuing their unbeaten run in the competition.