Town boss Paul Jewell slammed the officials’ failure to award his side a spotkick when Steven Caldwell felled Lee Martin inside the box minutes before Birmingham's last-gasp winner at St Andrew's. Referee Rob Lewis wasn’t well sighted but assistant Amy Fearn was better placed to see what looked a clear foul

Jewell said: “Although the referee didn’t have a very good view, the lineswoman, or whatever she's called, had a great view - it was a stonewall penalty and a sending off. You’ll have to ask her why she didn’t give it. It was a stonewall penalty.

“I asked the referee at the end but there was the wall of silence. But it’s happened, I don’t know why it’s happened because I don’t even think it was a debatable decision, it’s a stonewall penalty.”

Jewell is likely to face scrutiny regarding his criticism of the female official with some newspapers misquoting an early exchange during the post-match press conference.

A reporter asked the Town boss, "I think everyone to a man thought it was a penalty, what's your view?" with the Blues manager responding, "Unfortunately to every man, but not a woman."

Jewell was generally pleased with his team, aside from Nikola Zigic’s two goals: “We defended resolutely, they had a couple of opportunities but we had some good situations on the break that we didn’t make the most of - balls flying across the box.

“The players’ effort was unstinting but the two goals we gave away were bad goals, but in between that there were a lot of good points.”

He felt his team deserved a point and despite the setbacks need to remain resolute and results will then come: “We do need a break but we’ve got to keep going, no one’s going to give us anything for nothing.

“We’ve got to keep going ourselves. We should have had a penalty tonight, we should have got at least a point out of the game.

“It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself, you’ve just got to try and keep going, keep working hard and hope that something does turn your way. If we play like that in the coming games, we’ll win more than we lose.

“We’re in the situation we’re in because we haven’t defended well enough for long enough periods in games. Our concentration is why we’ve conceded a lot of goals late on. Zigic is a handful at 6ft 7, 6ft 8 but it’s just so disappointing that we’re conceding goals like we have tonight.”

Jewell praised his team’s spirit with the 569 travelling fans applauding them at the whistle: “The effort was there, the supporters clapped the players off at the end, it was a terrific following from them again.

“It’s a hard luck story and you don’t want to be doing hard luck stories. We’ve conceded in the 92nd or 93rd minute and it does become psychological sometimes.”

He says Jason Scotland and Grant Leadbitter should be fine despite picking up minor injuries: “Jason’s all right, we’ve got a couple of knocks. Grant got a knock, Jason got a kick when we were on the attack, so he had to come off but I think he’ll be OK.”

Jewell says his mind now moves on to the task of lifting his team for Saturday’s game against Blackpool: “It’s not easy but you have to, we’ve got another game on Saturday. There’s no point in moping about. We’ve got to take the positives out of the game tonight.”

Birmingham boss Chris Hughton, who says he didn’t see the penalty incident, was pleased that his side kept going and grabbed another late goal: “The late, late show again. If you score late in the game it shows we’ve got enough character and resilience in the team to want to protect this very good home record that we’ve got, and grateful and delighted for Nikola for both goals.”

Photo: Action Images

bluearmy4life added 23:00 - Jan 11 Same old, Same old. Crap defence same mistakes week in week out. In all honesty not to get relegated this season will be a success. JEWELL OUT CLEGG OUT
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crossy72 added 23:01 - Jan 11 jewell outtttttttttttttt only so many hard luck stories I can stomach FACTS are 11 defeats out of 14 say no more
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jas0999 added 23:01 - Jan 11 blah, blah, blah - more excuses. That's football I am afarid - just ask Man City - even teams of that stature have poor decisions go against them. sadly there can be no excuse for losing 11 out of the last 14 and then many thrashings before that (Southampton and Peterboro - this season - let's not mention last season!). Bottom line is PJ is a very poor manager and the sooner ME realises this the better. More defensive errors - so where was the new CB? At least we have a new keeper ON LOAN for three months ... PJ OUT AND NOW.

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buryblue77 added 23:03 - Jan 11 I have a good feeling about Saturday, despite feeling that Jewell should be sacked somehow I don't think it's going to happen. Then we'll come out fighting on Sat and get a nice 3-0 win and our season starts here. Just trying to keep optimistic.
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buryblue77 added 23:03 - Jan 11 I have a good feeling about Saturday, despite feeling that Jewell should be sacked somehow I don't think it's going to happen. Then we'll come out fighting on Sat and get a nice 3-0 win and our season starts here. Just trying to keep optimistic.
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manualthetisfanclub added 23:04 - Jan 11 May have been pen pj but fact is team gave away 2 stupid goals and lost again!you got to earn your luck but this team need a miracle,these players simply aren't good enough,manager brought them in no more excuses!
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Sindre94 added 23:07 - Jan 11 deserved more. In jewell we trust! COYB
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Blue_75 added 23:07 - Jan 11 Clegg out, Sheepshanks in!!
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neilvanlimbeek added 23:09 - Jan 11 I was there - penalty was a 50/50, thought defender got the ball but looked iffy - fact is yet again we cannot defend set pieces - lack of communication from players - What the hell was Sonko playing at giving the throw in away - ball should have been hoisted up the pitch - Nathan Ellington couldnt score in a kids 5 a side match - why he came on before Chopra I'll never know. Even though we were as good as Birmingham - change is needed as were heading to games at Southend, Carlisle and Yeovil

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PSGBlue added 23:09 - Jan 11 Only three useless Centre backs left in the squad and one of them is injured. The term "A team is built by starting at the back" has not applied to the current team. Unfortunately PJ has had the the last eight months to sort this out and even now is desperately chasing one of Leicester's cast offs. For this reason alone not withstanding the age of the players, PJ has failed. Only luck can save us from Division 1 next season!

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martin12120137 added 23:09 - Jan 11 Just gota start again now! Get jewell out and bring in neil warnock! Send back the keeper and murphy sort out the contracts get in a new keeper a new CB and RB a couple. Of midfielders and a striker and hopefuly he would give the players some beleif especialy chopra sound a plan?
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TimmyH added 23:12 - Jan 11 A team playing with little or no confidence, even when we play well we don't seem to come up with any points, some faces have got to go from this club - Clegg and Jewell would make a start.
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casanovacrow added 23:13 - Jan 11 Penalty or not if we didn't defend like a drunk pub team we still would've won 1-0 and the blame for that is Jewell, he's been here long enough to do something with the problem and has made a right mess of it.
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Notts_tractor added 23:13 - Jan 11 One day a manager will say; "yes, I saw the incident, and yes, it did look like a penalty from where I was sitting". And I might see winged porcine creatures floating past the window, as well. What happens when they "didn't see" the penalty incident? A sudden loss of sight or blackout at the moment of impact? "Didn't see the incident" really means "yep, it was absolutely nailed on, but there's no way I'm going to say that to the media, so I'll say that was the one moment in over an hour and a half of football that I took my eye off the game and didn't see it". All of which does nothing to change the fact that we've lost our eleventh match in fourteen.

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Tractastic added 23:13 - Jan 11 Team gave it a good go but the truth is much of this team that Jewell has put together simply just aren't good enough.Defending continues to be our achilles heel and we still have no spine down the team.And Ellington? Really? I never thought anyone could be worse than Keane but Jewell is doing his best or should i say worst. Can't see anyone realistically wanting to come to this great club while Jewell is in charge so someone has to take responsibility for this mess NOW and makes some decisions. Jewell is a nice enough guy but he like much of 'his' team just isn't good enough.Its a results business and no one can justify continued support when you have lost 11 in 14 . And to think of all the quality players we have let go while Cleggs been in charge.It unbelievably bad management from the top down and ME has to sort this out before its too late. COYB.

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TractorBoy666 added 23:14 - Jan 11 So if the lineswoman thought it was a penalty, why didn't she tell the referee? But yet same mistakes at the back...
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planetblue_2011 added 23:14 - Jan 11 I can't see anyone picking the team up!! We were very unlucky tonight coming away with nothing. Results don't lie it's another loose which ever way u look at it. We are in a rut and I can't see us getting out of it. I don't even think new players will help the situation ITFC is in an all time low. Jewell you have done all you can, we need a change of manager. Mr Evans must see this team is relegation material if there isn't a change of manager soon. This is not jewells fault but we should of kept MCauley and Norris they were our best 2 players. We haven't replaced them at all. Another player is David Wright we haven't ever had a decent RB since him. That was down to Keane tho, plus the departures of Rhodes, trotter and stead. Jewell hasn't brought in enough quality on the pitch. Bullard, bowyer, chopra, jet all look good on paper but that's it. We need a new style of football players youth & experience together. This club is gonna take a long time to get back to it's best. So mr Evans do the best thing for all us town fans and sack jewell and make it 3rd time lucky. I just pray for a good manager, GEORGE BURLEY!!! He's ITFC through & through

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Hermann_eats_puffin added 23:15 - Jan 11 We seem to be in a never ending rut that repeats itself with the same old mistakes & late goals conceded time after time. If Jewell does go then it would be nice if we went all out to bring in a promising up and coming manager. I think that Lee Clark would fit the bill well although whether we could get him is another question. Thinking back to the play-offs against Sheff Utd I just can't bring myself to support the calls to get Warnock in.

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BROTHERBLUE1974 added 23:15 - Jan 11 Yawn yawn jewell, your team is a mess. Should have played it out for a point. Jog on u clown. Our club is to good for this mess.
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bigfish added 23:17 - Jan 11 Enough Jewell and clegg go now and give us fans a change of seeing championship football next year How many more stupid goals and lost matches before you understand
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good_at_COD added 23:17 - Jan 11 Have you gone easy on Jewell and spared him the embarrassment of quoting him accurately re the 'sexist' comments that appear in the Mirror?
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StowTractorBoy added 23:19 - Jan 11 Yes it was a stone wall penalty but the goals we conceded again tonight were pathetic. I am sorry PJ but your time has to be up as recent stats are not caused through just bad luck and any other Club in this land would have dispensed with your services long before now. The only possible hope we have of staving off relegation is to get Warnock in now. He will get the players in we need and will give the Club a lift. At the moment we are staring relegation in the face as there is without doubt not a worse team than us in the division at this time.I think you are decent man PJ but this has not worked not helped by loan signings and a lack of pace in the team which you have had ample time to address. This is the biggest mess our football Club have been in for over 40 years not just on the pitch but the whole structure of the Club. Very sad times indeed - my only consolation if you can call it that is that there are about 6 grounds in Div 1 that I have not been to - some consolation that is. Please act now Mr Evans before it is too late.

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tommyblues added 23:21 - Jan 11 terry butcher 4 me blue army
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good_at_COD added 23:23 - Jan 11 All the reasons, explanations and excuses, including the bleating about the non-award of a penalty, cannot disguise the fact we defended woefully. I cannot recall another previous occasion when we conceded twice and both were as scruffy and sloppy as that. It would be embarrassing to see goals like that on a Sunday morning.
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marc96 added 23:24 - Jan 11 The thing that really p!sses me of with decisions like the blatant penalty we should have had is that if you're not going to award a penalty then surely you have to book martin for diving because clearly the defender's come nowhere near the ball! The ref has done neither and its just Another case of a ref being to scared to make a decision from fear of disagreement from fans! Its ridiculous how refs referee nowadays!! Ruled by fear of getting things wrong rather than trying to make good decisions!

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