Yeovil 1 Doncaster 0: Dickov is dismayed by Doncaster defending

Doncaster Rovers manager Paul Dickov found this defeat at Huish Park particularly tough to take as he claimed his side should have had a second-half penalty after Yeovil defender Byron Webster tangled with Bongani Khumalo.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Feb 2014, 06:55 BST
Doncaster Rovers' boss Paul Dickov.Doncaster Rovers' boss Paul Dickov.
Doncaster Rovers' boss Paul Dickov.

On a day when the league’s bottom three teams all won, former Rovers striker James Hayter tucked away a second-half penalty to hand Yeovil a first home victory since December and reduced the gap between these two sides to five points.

Dickov said: “I thought it was a scrappy game. The conditions and the pitch didn’t help us play the way we wanted.

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“We’ve created two or three great chances when we were on top in the second half before their penalty, and it’s a completely different outcome if we put them away.

“I’ve not seen the penalty but at the time I thought it was correct. James (Husband) hasn’t made any real complaints about it.

“I felt we should have also had a penalty.

“I’m not an advocate of players getting sent off, but their lad has swung his arm and smashed Bongani (Khumalo) in the face.

“The referee has seen it and did nothing about it, and the fourth official tells me the decision wasn’t given because it was open-handed.

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“I was disappointed with the chances we gave away because we’ve defended well recently.

“It’s difficult when a team is one-nil up and you’re chasing because you leave yourself open a bit, but our quality in the final third wasn’t there.”

Yeovil manager Gary Johnson believes his side’s win dragged both Doncaster and Millwall back into the Championship survival fight.

He added: “Opposition teams who get beat always have a little moan about decisions, but that shows how important they thought (Saturday’s) game was.

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“If James (Hayter) gets an opportunity you know he’s clever enough to tuck it in the corner.”

Yeovil: Stech, Ayling, Webster, Duffy, McAllister, Holmes (Dawson 77), Edwards, Ralls, Lawrence, Hayter, Miller. Unused substitutes: Palazuelos, Foley, Moore, Lanzoni, Dunn, Morgan.

Doncaster Rovers: Johnstone, Quinn, Khumalo, Meite, Husband, Coppinger, Keegan, Wellens, Duffy (Cotterill 65), Brown, Bowery. Unused substitutes: Furman, McCullough, Maxted, De Val Fernandez, Peterson, Stevens.

Referee: D Drysdale (Lincolnshire).