Bulls boss Powell slams officials after Herne Bay loss
Elliot Powell led Jersey Bulls to promotion last season
- Published
Jersey Bulls manager Elliot Powell criticised the match officials after their controversial 2-1 home defeat by Herne Bay in Isthmian League South East.
Herne Bay got off to a perfect start as Steven Townsend put them ahead in the seventh minute but the hosts felt the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.
Lorne Bickley twice went close to a reply as the half wore on and Luke Campbell felt he had scored three minutes before the break - only for the referee to rule his effort had not crossed the line before being cleared.
Miguel Carvalho hit the crossbar in the 63rd minute as Bulls searched for an equaliser, and they found it 14 minutes later when Bickley blasted home from inside the box after being put through by Jonny Le Quesne.
But Herne Bay got an 80th-minute winner when Joe Alatise rose highest at the back post to head in a corner despite protests that goalkeeper Pierce Roche was fouled as the ball came in.
Powell felt his side could have had three penalties after challenges on Carvalho, Campbell and Adam Trotter in the box.
"There's three people there that their performance today, if they played for the club, they would never play again. That was as bad a set of officials as I've ever seen," Powell told BBC Radio Jersey.
"The ball was out of play, everyone stops, the ball goes in, the linesman says he can't see through the bodies, so we're frustrated by that one, the benefit of the doubt should go to the defensive side when the ball is quite clearly out of play.
"Luke Campbell's header he feels was quite clearly over the line.
"Then you roll it on 70 minutes and the linesman on the other side has seen through 15 bodies, two goalposts, the side netting to give a decision at the furthest possible point away from him about a ball that has crossed the line allegedly, that the referee thinks hasn't crossed the line.
"The corner then comes in, we think it's a foul on the goalkeeper."
The loss leaves Bulls in 11th place in the table as Herne Bay move up a place to seventh.
