Beattie: 'It Was A Stonewall Penalty'

Craig Beattie insists he was denied a 'stonewall' penalty in the final few minutes of yesterday's 0-0 draw at home to Doncaster Rovers.

The striker was furious with the decision as if it had been given and converted, we'd have finished in the play-offs. But you can argue that we should have scored earlier in the game to guarantee victory.

Beattie said:

"It`s a stonewall penalty.

"The ball`s come over the top at a flat angle, I could get my foot to it and the boy`s taken me down.

"He hasn`t meant to do it, but I don`t care, it`s a stonewall penalty.

"I`m in on goal, I can get a foot on it and there`s just the goalkeeper to beat.

"I`m not going down for no reason, the contact was there and it was a penalty kick.

"I`m running through on goal with two or three minutes to go, why would I go down?

"He never booked me so what is he saying? If it was not a penalty then he should book me for diving.

"He`s brought me down and it should have been a penalty and a sending off as well.

"I spoke to the referee and he said it was not a pen. I`ve been in to see him afterwards and he`s explained what happened.

"He said with his view we came together as players and it is not a penalty.

"I don`t know if he bottled it, but I can assure you he got it wrong.

"I`ve asked him to have a look at it again and then let me know what he thinks."

Beattie also added that a number of decisions have gone against us this season:

"We are not asking for any help from anyone, just some fair decisions.

"It`s happened on more than one occasion this year and it`s cost us.

"I don`t want to have to say referees have cost us but I can tell you five times off the top of my head where they have in games.

"It`s not good enough. There`s too much at stake for clubs and players, there`s too much at stake for people to be getting decisions like that wrong and it has got to improve.

"I`ve had a decision against Doncaster and one the other day, we`ve had a penalty retake against Plymouth when Dorus has done nothing wrong.

"Pratley had a penalty at Forest that was never given. It`s scandalous."

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