Decisions have hindered us, says furious Kettering boss Law

Marcus Law was left fuming as he felt some big decisions went against Kettering Town as their play-off bid was derailed by a shock 1-0 home defeat to already-relegated Bedworth United.
Luke Rowe's free-kick beats Kettering Town goalkeeper Craig Hill for the only goal at Latimer Park as Bedworth United claimed a shock 1-0 success. Picture by Jim McAlwane UFXhxTg23L7aYDARTIxJLuke Rowe's free-kick beats Kettering Town goalkeeper Craig Hill for the only goal at Latimer Park as Bedworth United claimed a shock 1-0 success. Picture by Jim McAlwane UFXhxTg23L7aYDARTIxJ
Luke Rowe's free-kick beats Kettering Town goalkeeper Craig Hill for the only goal at Latimer Park as Bedworth United claimed a shock 1-0 success. Picture by Jim McAlwane UFXhxTg23L7aYDARTIxJ

The Poppies had Wilson Carvalho sent off early in the second half at Latimer Park with Law confirming it as an incident having “something to do with chewing gum”.

The Kettering boss revealed that will be dealt with internally once the footage had been reviewed.

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But he was furious with referee Sam Lewis for denying the Poppies what Law felt were three clear penalties over the 90 minutes.

After seeing his side’s 11-match unbeaten run ended, which has left them two points behind fifth-placed Hungerford Town with three games to play in the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division, Law said: “I hate talking about this but basically four refereeing decisions over the last two games have hindered or not helped our situation.

“On Tuesday it was quite clearly not a penalty (which Leamington scored in a 1-1 draw), they got it totally wrong with it being a yard and a half outside the box.

“Tonight, a lad has punched the ball and it hasn’t been given and I’ve seen Liam Canavan thrown to the floor as he has gone to shield the ball and I’ve seen David Popa getting taken out.

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“I can’t see how you can get all three wrong. They may be been blocked by certain things but with the Popa one, he has a clear view.

“When things aren’t going for you and you are trying and grafting, you just need something to lift them and you need decisions to go your way.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect every decision to go our way but that’s three questionable ones.”

On the incident that resulted in Carvalho being shown red, Law added: “The information I have been given at the moment is something to do with chewing gum, whether he has thrown it or spat it, I don’t know.

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“I am going to have to look at the video and speak to the player.

“I don’t condone and I don’t expect it from any of my players. We will do something internally with the club. But we need to see exactly what has happened before we make any decisions.

“Surprisingly, I asked the referee what he saw and he said he didn’t know yet he’s still sent the lad off.”

As for his team’s performance, Law felt his team “looked leggy and tired” as he once again rotated his squad in a bid to keep fresh legs on the pitch.

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“I thought we looked leggy and tired, we did our utmost,” the Poppies manager said.

“We tried to put some fresh legs in there and there was some good play at times but we probably didn’t work the goalkeeper enough.

“There were some forced changes and every player in there is carrying some sort of knock and we are just waiting for one to take them out for the season.

“I think we are doing extremely well in terms of managing the players but maybe the youth showed a bit of naivety at times with their decision making or a lack of quality.

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“But they gave it everything. We have had one error and they have punished us for it. We’ve had a habit of doing that, it’s been the story of the season.”

The Poppies are now preparing for their final home game of the campaign against another relegated side, Bideford, on Saturday as they bid to keep their top-five hopes alive.

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