Holloway: Campbell red card cost us

27 February 2011 10:30

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway described DJ Campbell's moment of madness as "unacceptable" after "a stinking day in the office" following his side's 4-0 defeat to Wolves at Molineux.

Just over two minutes from the break, leading scorer Campbell pushed Wolves defender Richard Stearman in the face with both hands. That earned him a straight red card from referee Neil Swarbrick and an automatic three-match suspension, starting with next Monday's visit to Bloomfield Road of Chelsea.

Assessing Campbell's red mist, Holloway said: "It probably seemed pretty innocent, but he has scrapes down the back of his Achilles, and it was Stearman who kicked him however many times before that. But it's still unacceptable. That's part and parcel of your job, but it's just out of character, so something was not quite right with him, and it really cost us."

Holloway added: "You've got to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and get on with it.

"But goals are vital. Luke Varney missed our only chance, and if he had scored then who knows what would have happened? Maybe DJ would not have been frustrated."

Wolves' third home win from their last four league games means they are now out of the bottom three for only the second time in the last five months.

This latest triumph came on the back of a first half which started and ended in nightmare fashion for Holloway as Matt Jarvis gave the home side the lead after just 116 seconds.

After the break Wolves took full advantage of the 10-man visitors, with on-loan Jamie O'Hara adding a second in the 55th minute before a brace from substitute Sylvan Ebanks-Blake in the closing 12 minutes.

Asked if he was shattered by the defeat, Holloway added: "Not really. I don't get shattered - I'm made not made of glass or crystal. I'm bruised, it hurts, but I'm not shattered. I'm a football manager and unfortunately we were beaten by the better team.

"You need things to go for you, and we had spoken about doing things right and doing them better, but we were one down inside two minutes. That changed the whole complexion of the crowd and their players, of our crowd and our players. Such is life. But that was a stinking day in the office for me."

Source: PA