Town boss Paul Lambert felt referee Peter Wright’s decisions to send off Andre Dozzell and award a penalty for handball against Mark McGuinness were “absolutely incredible” as the Blues were defeated 2-1 at Sunderland with the two incidents playing a significant part in the loss.
Dozzell was given his marching orders for a challenge on Grant Leadbitter in the 72nd minute with the ex-Town skipper eventually netting the spot-kick which was harshly awarded for handball by McGuinness when he kicked the ball against his own arm as Toto Nsiala looked to head it away.
Asked about referee Wright’s performance, Lambert said: "I don’t think I can comment on that. You look at Andre Dozzell, I think anybody looking at that Andre Dozzell incident has got to have the common sense to rescind that.
"In a million years in professional football, that was never a sending off. The actual foul initially was on Andre himself.
"The handball. the Eric Dier incident a few weeks ago [in Tottenham's game against Newcastle] changed the laws of the game.
"If you’re not looking at the ball, which he wasn’t, and Toto heads it off him, I mean, come on! What are we doing to the game of football? What game are we actually playing? That was incredible.
"It doesn’t help us because I thought we were excellent, really were excellent. We played some really cracking football. I’m really pleased with the guys, how they’re playing but the two incidents I thought were absolutely incredible.”
Lambert says that even if the card is rescinded, it has cost the Blues: "Massively, because we were really good. I thought we were the better team, we played some brilliant football, Jack Lankester should have put us 2-1 up, we were so comfortable.
"The movement from the guys, the speed of the ball, the football we’re playing. Come on, we’re asking for better than that for those decisions, without a doubt.”
Lambert was similarly frustrated by referee Kevin Johnson’s performance in the 1-0 defeat at Lincoln 10 days ago when a harsh penalty was awarded against Toto Nsiala after Teddy Bishop had been fouled twice in the build-up. He says those sorts of decision oughtn’t to happen at this level.
"They shouldn’t and I spoke to Mike Jones the head of the referees [the national group director of the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited)] after the Lincoln game and Mike told me himself that it wasn’t a penalty, and he even said that the referee himself admitted it wasn’t a penalty.
"Come on! What are we actually doing here? What’s going on with it? I know it’s a tough gig they’ve got but Andre Dozzell, it’s never a lifetime a penalty. Also, the handball, the Eric Dier thing changes the whole game.
"We only spoke about it a few weeks ago, to say if you’re not looking at the ball and the ball hits your hand, it’s not a penalty. Even the Sunderland lads were saying to me after the game that it wasn’t a penalty. They never even appealed.”
Quizzed on what the referee said to him, Lambert added: "Listen, the usual, just ‘I’ll look at it’. Honestly, I’m hot and angry about it because the guys gave me everything and they were brilliant the way they played and the football we’re playing at the minute is really good.
"We’re sitting second, we’re in a good position, confidence is incredibly high the way they’re playing, but we deserved to win the game.”
Having started slowly and gone behind to Charlie Wyke’s goal in the eighth minute, the Blues levelled through Lankester then from there got on top.
"We did, really proud of them, I’ve just told them that in the dressing room,” the Blues manager continued.
"The way we’re playing, and I know everybody looks at the results and all those sorts of thing, but the long term, the football club is going really well, really well with the way we’re playing.
"If we can instil that right through as I’ve always said, then the football club will be in a really good place in the years to come.
"The performance today, the way we played with the knock-backs we’ve had, obviously the Woolfy situation and things like that, and the sending off, which it wasn’t, and the handball.
"I bet you guys [the media] couldn’t believe it either. What you’re seeing from up above me, I see at pitch level, which is incredible.”
Again, as so often over the course of the last two seasons, Town were unable to win against one of the division’s leading lights, but the result didn’t tell the full story and Lambert says the Blues are well placed.
"The way we’re playing football, I’m so happy, I’m so proud of how we’re playing,” he said. "We’re sitting second in the table, I think we’re three points off top.
"There’s a helluva lot of games to get played, a helluva lot of midweek games to get thrown in, and all you’re asking for is for officials to get the big moments right in big games.
"You cannot give a penalty when you’re a yard away, McGuinness isn’t even looking at the ball. The Eric Dier incident changed the game, the Eric Dier incident changed the game for the Premier League, so surely it must filter down? Unless we’ve got different rules. Is that what we’re saying? We’ve got different rules to the Premier League?”
Lambert was delighted to see Lankester net his first goal since January 2019, but felt he ought to have grabbed another in the second half when he shot just over the bar.
"It was a great goal, a great move, it really was, a brilliant move,” he enthused. "He should have scored his second, the move was great. We looked really good and the kid’s just come back from two really bad injuries to his back.
"But regarding the team, I’m really pleased with how they’re playing, I couldn’t ask for any more.”
Kayden Jackson was handed his first start of the season following a groin injury and then a spell in isolation due to Covid-19.
Asked whether it was a difficult game in which to give Jackson his chance, Lambert said: "I think any game when we started Kayden was always going to be tough because he’s not played or trained for a long time. He’s just finding his feet again.
"And Oli Hawkins had run himself into the ground in the last few weeks so we decided to start Kayden. Kayden did well, so it’s another few minutes under his belt.”
Lambert says players will be rested for Saturday’s home FA Cup first round tie against Portsmouth.
"Yes, we’ve got a few knocks and obviously there’s Woolfy’s situation, he won’t be able to play for 14 days, the break as well as the two cup games,” he said. "We have to [rest some] because we’ve got a few injuries in there.”
Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson was pleased to come through a game against a side he expects to be among their promotion rivals come the end of the season.
"I think the first half we got caught in between a little bit with our pressing,” Parkinson told the Sunderland Echo.
"I thought we allowed them to progress up the pitch too easily, even though we started well and got the goal.
"The second half we were much better, we put Goochy in behind the two strikers and got on top of them better.
"We forced them into more mistakes and it was a much better display. Sometimes when you're not at your best you've got to find a way to win. The lads stuck at it and it was an important win for us, to back up the win against Gillingham.
"Ipswich are technically very good in the midfield area, their midfield three are probably as good as anyone in the division and it did show at times.
"I thought we were rectified things at half time by getting that extra man higher up the pitch, to stop them building attacks.
"There was perhaps a little bit of edginess there but it was an important game against promotion rivals and we came through it.”