Paul Huntington says penalty shouts at either end cost Preston North End dear at QPR

Paul Huntington wants consistency from Championship referees in the wake of another controversial penalty decision in PNE’s 2-0 loss against Queens Park Rangers.
Paul Huntington and Alan Browne question referee Andy Davies' penalty decisionPaul Huntington and Alan Browne question referee Andy Davies' penalty decision
Paul Huntington and Alan Browne question referee Andy Davies' penalty decision

As in Monday’s last-gasp defeat by West Bromwich, Declan Rudd was adjudged to have committed a foul – on Rangers’ Marc Pugh – and again communication from match officials has been called into question.

Against the Baggies, Kyle Edwards went down easily to win a spot-kick and, in the aftermath of the decision, referee Oliver Langford said nothing.

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On Saturday, ref Andy Davies told Huntington he was not even sure of the decision he had made, which ultimately killed off North End’s hopes of mounting a comeback.

Davies also turned down PNE’s claims for a penalty of their own.

“As soon as he said he wasn’t sure, I don’t think he can give it,” Huntington said.

“The linesman’s said he hasn’t seen it. Dec was saying that he’s kicked it off him and it’s gone out for a corner or its ricocheted and it’s gone out for a goalkick, one of the two.

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“As soon as he’s gone to speak to him I thought it was going to be resolved. It was a bit more of a shock than anything.

“It was an easy one to even it up with Billy Bodin – he gets sandwiched then he gets nudged in the back.

“I don’t think they’d have had too many complaints.

“We’d have then been pushing for the equaliser.

“Being totally honest, and I said that at the end of the game, it is an easy one to even it up with – not that that’s the referee’s job, but if you give that one, it’s a bit like the other one.

“We’ve had two of those in the last two games. You just want that consistency.

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“We have had a lot of penalties this year but I genuinely think if I was a neutral, I think we’ve had nine and nine of them have been penalties.

“It’s a hard one to take because I felt as though away from home, the longer you stay in the game, they get edgy.

“Jordan Hugill was saying to me, ‘Second half we’ll start dropping off, we’ll get nervy’ because they haven’t been keeping clean sheets.

“In the first half, we weren’t great. You can tell we have a number of key players out.

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“As we were growing into it I felt like we were getting a bit more of the ball.

“We got a penalty given against us – the referee said he didn’t know, went to speak to the linesman, who said, ‘I don’t have a great view of it, it’s on you’.

“That comes at a pretty bad time for us.

“We were getting on the ball a bit more. I thought David Nugent did well when he came on.

“It was frustrating because I don’t think there was a lot in the game. #They’d had the shot in the first half, Sean Maguire’s gone through one on one, he’s kind of stumbled as he’s hit it and the keeper’s made a save.”