Wednesday 24 August 2016 23:53, UK
Sean Dyche had strong words for the referee after his Burnley side were knocked out of the EFL Cup by League Two's Accrington Stanley on Wednesday.
The Clarets had the better of much of the game until a late strike by Matty Pearson sealed the upset for Accrington, but Dyche had no problem with the display from his much-changed side, it was the performance of the match officials that disappointed the Burnley manager.
"The main thing I'm really pleased about is that one of my young players didn't come away with a broken leg," Dyche said after the game. "I've seen a ridiculous challenge which is a red card immediately. There's a two-footed tackle in the second half let go too.
"I'm amazed by the referee, but that's part and parcel of the game."
Accrington manager John Coleman also saw the incidents in question, but felt that the referee's poor performance had an impact on both teams.
"If the referee had done his job and given the foul on Shay McCartan in the first place, we wouldn't be talking about that," Coleman said.
"It was a poor challenge, but I don't think there's any malice in it. Anyone who knows Shay McCartan knows he would never top anybody.
"The referee let too many things go tonight. There were a couple of really nasty challenges. If we're talking about reds, there could easily be reds for them as well."
Burnley's defeat came hot on the heels of their best performance for some time in the 2-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday.
However, Dyche - who made ten changes from the team that beat the Reds - said he was not concerned with how his team played against Accrington.
"I was really pleased with the performance in general," Dyche said. "We created enough chances to certainly win."
