Angry Mark Robins seeks out referee after narrow Coventry City defeat at Preston

Mark Robins was left fuming after watching his Coventry City denied a late point by a disallowed goal at Preston North End.

The Sky Blues boss revealed he was going in to see the referee Josh Smith after Haji Wright had a goal chalked off in the 82nd minute at Deepdale where the Midlands club extended their miserable record in the league to 23 games without a win.

Bobby Thomas was also denied by a brilliant save from goalkeeper Freddie Woodman in stoppage time in a close Championship game.

“I think if you take the game in isolation we have done very little wrong,” said the City boss, speaking after the 1-0 defeat, courtesy of an Emil Riis goal in the 72nd minute.

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“We spoke at half-time about winning challenges and tackles a little bit more and being on the front foot. The use of the ball was OK from time to time and we probably cancelled each other out a little bit. But we had opportunities to score.

“It was just one of those games that we ended up losing on the one time that we ended up not doing our jobs properly. They had a chance at the far post and it was played back in and it came off his face (Emil Riis) and goes into the back of the net, so that was disappointing.”

He added: “The goal that was disallowed, I am going in to see the referee in a minute. Their manager is in with him at the minute and once he is finished I will go in and see him because I want to know why that goal was disallowed. There’s talk of it being ruled out for hand ball but there was no hand ball, I am being told. So that’s a disappointment.”

Further disappointed with the match official, he said: “We were through, two v two and the referee blows his whistle and it pulls us back and you don’t get the momentum that way. And the fouls are what you have to contend with with these because they disrupt the play. So that adds to it.

“I am really disappointed; I’m disappointed for the players because they have played some good football and been in some decent positions to take the game to them, and at a place where we have struggled to win. And today was just one of those games.

“At the moment you are just left scratching your head because there are fine margins and we are losing out to those fine margins. So, as I say, on to the next game.”

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