Laws 'furious' with referee Penn

11 March 2009 08:26
Laws appeared to be asked to leave his pitchside position after a late touchline incident which came shortly before Preston grabbed an equaliser through Jon Parkin to secure a 1-1 draw. The Wednesday manager claimed referee Andy Penn had shown poor leadership and poor communication with his fourth official. The Owls boss had been trying without success to bring on substitute James O'Connor before Preston equalised in stoppage-time. Laws said: "My only thoughts are angry thoughts because I'm trying to be as professional as we possibly can and 92 football clubs would have wanted to do what I wanted to do - to slow the game down and put a sub on. "The referee totally blanked the fourth official. That's why I am more angry. We tried three times to put a sub on. "The fourth official buzzed him several times and he totally ignored it. I'm very angry but devastated. The whole ending too was very annoying. "Preston have got something out of the game they should not have. I was absolutely furious and devastated. He asked me to leave the pitch and quite frankly, I don't care, I'm that angry with it. "I'll be putting in a report. That to me is just poor leadership from him and poor communication with the fourth official. "For me it feels as if he has ended our season. I feel like that was the last straw. I don't think we'll get a better opportunity. "It was the best performance of the year by us by a mile. I feel like it's cut our chances of getting anywhere closer to the play-offs. "The players are in there as though the whole world has come to an end. That's how gut-wrenching it is, especially when you are in the dying seconds of the game. "It's the biggest travesty this season, the fact that we have not won the game. "From start to finish we bossed them and out-thought them and moved the ball on a super surface. "We were outstanding in the way we interlinked. They could not cope with the movement of the ball or the play." Despite seeing his team drop to eighth spot in the Championship, Preston manager Alan Irvine was satisfied with a point. "I'm delighted with the character the lads showed," he said. "We have been tested tonight, that's for sure. "We have had a lot of problems before and during the game which have really stretched what is obviously a small squad. "But we have managed to grind something out. We have salvaged a point from a very, very difficult situation. "Wednesday played extremely well. They started brilliantly in the second half and they created a lot of opportunities. It forced me to change the system." The Deepdale boss had a word of praise for scorer Parkin who has netted five times in his last seven games. Irvine said: "He has been a fantastic presence for us and done a very good job. "He has been scoring goals regularly. He is a great player for us to play off." Parkin snatched the point when Chris Sedgwick's initial shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and Parkin smashed in from several yards out. But Wednesday had deserved a victory and had taken the lead on the half hour when former Everton player Francis Jeffers struck from close range.

Source: Team_Talk