Aaron Collins is adamant he was denied a “blatant” penalty against Fleetwood Town, with the striker booked by referee Bobby Madden for diving.
At 1-1, Collins broke free in the 75th minute, from Bobby Thomas’ through-ball, nicking the ball past Fleetwood defender Josh Earl who then stretched to try and clear the ball but caught the Rovers striker.
The 25-year-old tumbled to the turf inside the area in front of the Thatchers End, with the vast majority of the Mem screaming for a penalty but Madden immediately reached for his pocket and raised a yellow card.
Collins insists that he didn’t just feel contact, Earl’s intervention caused him to lose balance and posed the question as to why he would have chosen to hit the deck rather than chase onto the ball.
“He’s gone to clear the ball, I’ve got there before him and nicked the ball and it’s a slight contact,” said Collins, who’s been booked three times this season for simulation. “As soon as I’ve nipped the ball off him, and he’s missed the clearance. I’m running onto it if I don’t see him swinging at me.
“The referee has made the decision so quickly so I know it’s him who’s made the decision, not the lino; he hasn’t been able to see it properly and he thought the easiest decision was to book me when I believe it’s a blatant penalty.
“Referees know that the slightest contact puts you off miles, and I can’t carry on running or get my shot off. I want to know the reason why because, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t go down if I didn’t get contact - what’s the point?”
Collins’ view was supported by first-team coach Andy Mangan, who was able to access the incident via an iPad in the dugout and it clearly showed contact between Earl and Collins.
Mangan was on press duties after manager Joey Barton was red carded in the closing stages of the game after reacting to a heavy tackle on Rovers substitute Luca Hoole.
"He (the referee) sees what he sees. We have the benefit of pretty much VAR on the side of the pitch so we understand that Azza has been kicked by their lad and it is a penalty," Mangan said.
"The referee doesn't have that at these levels and, what I would say, is that they probably need a little bit more help. The fourth official could potentially help, the linesman; do we have more officials at these games? They can help."
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