Blackpool boss gives verdict on penalty decision for Peterborough's second goal in EFL Trophy semi-final

Neil Critchley states a key decision by the referee took the EFL Trophy semi-final tie away from Blackpool.

Peterborough took the lead through Malik Mothersille in the first half of the game at Bloomfield Road, before a Harrison Burrows brace after the break secured a place at Wembley for the dominant visitors.

Despite admitting his side didn’t do enough to win the fixture with their display, Critchley was still left unhappy with the circumstances surrounding the Posh captain’s first goal, with a penalty awarded against the Seasiders, with Ricky-Jade Jones adjudged to have been brought down in the box.

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"I didn’t need to see it back, he quite clearly slides in on Rich (O’Donnell) and is going to ground already,” he said.

"If anything it’s more of a foul on Rich than it is a penalty. It was the 77th minute. I’m not saying Peterborough didn’t deserve to be winning the game at that point but at 1-0, that was more than enough time, but the referee’s decision took the game away from us.

"Goals change games. In the second half we had changed what we were doing- we won the ball back more and were more aggressive. We had a couple of opportunities, and there could’ve been more. The game was still there, and it was an appalling decision.”

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