Town boss Jim Magilton was unsurprisingly thoroughly unimpressed with referee Mark Halsey's laughable decision to red card Liam Trotter during the first half of the Blues' 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth.

Magilton admitted that the challenge on Pedro Mendes was a foul, but was worthy of only a yellow card: "I am not condoning it. He was a little bit late, but from an experienced referee, it was a caution.

"Liam is 19 years of age, but he has not got a malicious bone in his body. An experienced referee deals with it.

"I have asked the referee at half-time and he has told me he is a professional and he is 100% right. That is what we are dealing with."

Magilton says Trotter is very down: "The boy is inconsolable. He feels as if he has let everybody down, but he hasn't. He is a great lad and has done terrifically well for us.

"I think the referee had told him that he was getting booked. [Portsmouth coach] Joe Jordan was in the fourth official's ear telling him it was a sending off, a straight red, which did not really help the situation.

"But at the end of the day, if he has influenced an experience referee, then we really are in trouble."

Magilton says Town are yet to decide whether to appeal: "I would not appeal against him because he is a professional and is 100% right. God forgive me.

"Maybe he will go to Lourdes and repent, he may have a look at it. I doubt it.

"We will see. Maybe we will have a sit down and think about it, but I am not going to beg for mercy."

After the red card the Blues matched their Premier League opponents, which pleased the Town manager: "Maybe one or two of them switched off, but we made it difficult for them, which is all we can ask. We have had a go and the boys did us proud.

"It was never going to be an easy day against Premier League opposition, but to then go down to 10 men and play the way we did was fantastic.

"They did not lie down and die and their keeper has made three world class saves. The lads deserve a lot of credit for that."

Trotter himself says Halsey gave him the impression that he would be shown a yellow card: "I was absolutely shocked when the referee said he was sending me off.

"The referee asked me if it was a two-footed tackle and I said no. He told me to calm down and gave me the impression that I might be booked at worse.

"I apologised. It was my first tackle and I just mistimed it by a fraction. I didn't catch the player as badly as it looked either.
"The referee was speaking to someone in his ear piece and said 'one-footed and a yellow card' to whoever he was talking to.

"At that stage I was expecting to be booked. There was a delay and then he said 'Sorry lad, I've got to send you off'.

"I couldn't believe it. I slid in one-footed and my foot was almost on the ground. There was no malice in the challenge and Mendes was jumping in the air as I slid in.

"I watched the rest of the game from the tunnel. I felt that I had let the team down, but in my heart of hearts I knew I had done nothing wrong. I watched the video after the game and it proved what I already knew, it wasn't a red card."

Harry Redknapp agreed that the sending off was a poor decision: "It looked a bit harsh. I thought he was going to give the lad a yellow card, and I was surprised to see him pull out the red.

"He is only a young boy and was only a bit late I suppose, but I have not really seen it from where I was."

The Pompey boss was impressed with the Blues: "They are a good side and played some terrific football and in the last 10 minutes, they put us under some pressure when Jamo made some great saves.

"But with some of the sides which have gone out today, that shows how difficult the FA Cup can be."

Photo: Action Images

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