York City boss angry over controversial Gulls winner

12:40pm Monday 17th November 2008

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YORK City boss Colin Walker was left seething at referee Paul Curry after a controversial late goal cost his side their unbeaten home record.

Curry allowed Torquay’s stoppage time match-winning goal to stand despite visiting striker Tim Sills appearing to foul Minstermen ’keeper Michael Ingham before the ball fell for Mark Ellis to clinch a 2-1 victory.

Sills appeared to charge into Ingham as the pair competed in the air following Kevin Nicholson’s free-kick and Walker felt his side were unfairly denied a point after Mark Greaves’ 85th-minute header had cancelled out Roscoe Dsane’s second-half opening goal.

The City boss said: “As you can see on the photograph, it’s an absolutely blatant foul on Michael. Probably 151 other referees would have given it but not this one. It was a bit like that all game though. There were lots of decisions that nobody knew why they were given and it’s hard to swallow.”

City left-back Mark Robinson conceded the foul that led to Torquay’s winning goal. He was also shown a yellow card despite protesting his innocence after a challenge on midfielder Tryone Thompson, but Walker felt the City defender should have stayed on his feet, saying: “I was too far away to see if it was a foul or not, but you should stand your ground.”

Substitute Simon Russell had earlier lost possession to Torquay midfielder Chris Hargreaves, who then released Thompson to cross for Dsane to open the scoring midway through the second half.

Russell had only replaced Steven Hogg six minutes earlier, but Walker defended that decision with the former Manchester United trainee making his first league start of an injury- hindered season.

He said: “A couple of individual mistakes cost goals and the people know who they are.

“Steven Hogg did well during the time he was on the pitch. He then came off and Simon Russell came on and lost the ball for their goal so the manager gets vilified.

“The bigger picture is Hoggy is an integral part of the team now but we need to nurture him through. He started to lose his legs and they had three midfield players making massive runs into the box so we put Simon Russell on to try and force one of them back.”

Walker, pictured, admitted that it was a “massive disappointment” not to prevent in-form Torquay enjoying a seventh successive win and added: “I thought we got the tactics right and they changed their shape four times in the game.

“They paid us massive respect by playing a back three. Bruce Dyer and Onome Sodje caused them all sorts of problems and the ’keeper made some good saves, while other shots were also blocked.

“Half-time probably came too soon for us and, as has been the case recently, we took some time to get going in the second half. We should have then been thankful and seen the game through to the end when Greavesie scored but that didn’t happen.”

• City’s trip to Weymouth, scheduled for January 3, has been switched to Tuesday, January 6 (7.45pm) to allow for live coverage on Setanta.