Palace pair cleared over 'goal'

Warnock was incensed by Palace's disallowed 'goal'

The Football Association has cleared Crystal Palace pair Neil Warnock and Simon Jordan for their comments after the disallowed goal at Bristol City.

Palace boss Warnock escaped punishment last week but chairman Jordan was warned over his criticism of referee Rob Shoebridge and City's players.

The FA said on Thursday it will not now take further action against Jordan.

Palace were denied a valid goal in the 1-0 defeat at Ashton Gate when Freddie Sears fired home on 30 minutes.

Warnock complained his team had been "cheated" by the decision.

But it is understood that Warnock's comments were deemed as criticising the performance of the referee rather than a personal attack on Shoebridge.

However Jordan's comments - in which he claimed that Bristol City's players had cheated - were considered to be pre-meditated, and the Palace chairman had faced the threat of an improper conduct charge.

Warnock gave an impassioned news conference after the match, and also gave several interviews in the aftermath of the game to make his feelings clear.

Speaking the day after the match, Warnock said: "Nothing has changed. I feel really hurt and almost cheated out of a result. I felt sorry for the lads after all the work and preparation they put in.

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"We've already got a transfer embargo upon us and we lost Stern John last week in the first game, a striker, so to score goals is hard enough as it is.

"The body language of the Bristol players and the fans should have told the referee it was a goal. If it had been at the other end of the pitch, there would have been a riot.

"Refs make mistakes but morally I felt Bristol should have let us score a goal there."

Referees' chief Keith Hackett apologised to Warnock and the Palace fans who had travelled to Bristol, but the Football League refused the club's request to have the game replayed.

The FA has also written to Ipswich boss Roy Keane after he said that he hoped the referee would not feel any urge to "do Palace a favour" ahead of his side's 3-1 defeat by the Eagles on Tuesday.

Managers are not allowed to make comments about referees in the build-up to games.