Town have to do it all again after third round replay
Luton manager Rob Edwards was left to rue what he saw as a clear’mistake’ by VAR, which denied his side a clear-cut penalty during their FA Cup third round goalless draw with Bolton Wanderers at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.
With time running down, Elijah Adebayo teed up Alfie Doughty inside the area, whistling a shot that beat Trotters custodian Nathan Baxter but hit the inside of the post. The wingback was the first to react to the rebound, definitely clipped by visiting defender Will Forrester, with the bulk of the 10,739 fans chanting for a penalty.
It was turned down by referee Andrew Madley, before play stopped for a VAR check. However, those making the decisions at Stockley Park, Tim Robinson and his assistants Michael Oliver and Darren Cann, quickly agreed with their fellow official, as Town didn’t get the spotkick that Edwards felt was the only outcome possible.
He explained, “We were the dominant team in the second half, but we couldn’t get the ball over the line. A handful of saves, a couple of close misses, and I really believe the big decision tonight was the penalty on Alfie Doughty. I never complain when decisions go against us, but I’m not sure what VAR was thinking with that one.
“There was a clash of knees, and he fell. If he doesn’t make contact, he’ll round him and end up in a hazardous position in the box, so it was a penalty. I believe Andrew Madley should have been told to go to the screen to have a look at it. It was a big mistake, but credit to Bolton, they’ve got a result and we go and do it again.
Trotters manager Ian Evatt was also questioned about the incident, implying that the visitors may have escaped conceding a penalty, saying: “I wasn’t really sure what was going on, we’re not used to that in League One, but what I will say is, and I haven’t seen the incident back, the referee’s made a call, and there are two very experienced referees in the VAR hub, and if they’ve all come to the same decision, I’m comfortable with that.
“Whether we got away with one or not, there are three men there who had the opportunity to make a different decision but didn’t, and we have to accept whatever they call. Sometimes it works in your favour, sometimes it works against you; today it worked for us.
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