Joey Barton claimed Bristol Rovers’ 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth was almost exclusively decided by the officials as the Gas manager was not only incensed by Colby Bishop’s contentious opener but a string of big decisions that went against his side.
Barton was booked at half-time for his protestations towards referee James Bell, after coaches Andy Mangan and Glenn Whelan were also cautioned, following Bishop’s 18th minute goal in which the Pompey striker easily got behind the Rovers defence, so much so he looked clearly offside.
Assistant referee Ian Cooper, though, kept his flag down for Bishop to score past James Belshaw - the ball hitting both posts before crossing the line - and the Gas were on the back foot and having to chase the game thereafter.
Barton, along with the majority of the Mem, was furious but that was only compounded by further calls against his team as, first, Calum Macdonald was penalised for pulling Paddy Lane back as he looked to pounce on a ball slightly spilled by James Belshaw, Bell awarding a penalty for which Bishop made it 2-0.
Josh Coburn was denied a spot-kick of his own following some roughhouse defending, which Barton felt warranted a penalty for the hosts, while he also considered Jarell Quansah late lunge on Joe Morrell only worthy of a yellow card when it was red.
“You’ve got to tread carefully here because they double down and they come after you for telling the truth so we can’t tell the truth, which is unfortunate,” Barton said. “The officials are a law unto themselves and, today, a game between the 22 players, there’s not much between the two sides and they make a big call and get it wrong and we suffer for that.
“I’m thinking, the two big calls that follow that - the penalty for the second goal, when I watch it back, Paddy Lane pulls our player and then throws himself on the floor plus the ball hasn’t got away from James Belshaw so he’s going to get to it.
“If that’s a penalty then surely the pull on Josh Coburn’s shirt is a penalty in their box. We don't get it and then to compound that, for what I think is a yellow card tackle for a bit of frustration from a young player, he gives a straight red card.
"So, we feel cheated, we feel aggrieved, because big decisions have gone against us but we have to dust ourselves down and the officials will sail off into the world of unaccountability as they do and they’ll be backed up by the assessor.”
The defeat proved Rovers’ seventh straight home game without a win, in all competitions, with their last being the 2-1 triumph over Cheltenham Town on New Year’s Day, but it was overall a performance that probably deserved something out of the contest.
Like the 2-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night, they created ample chances but were unable to take them and then hit by two goals slightly against the run of play, which impacted their own momentum.
Barton was unable to fully analyse his side’s performance, however, as his focus remained on another aspect of the game.
“Honestly, there’s no point me talking about it,” he added. “We work hard all week and then it’s just ruined by officials so there’s no point talking about what actually happened in the game. It’s not as if it’s a yard… everyone in the stadium can see it’s off. You just know from instinct it’s off, we have the benefit of replay but nine and a half thousand of our fans can see it’s off.
“Every player stops but the people that matter who have the responsibility of calling the game squarely, they make stuff up and invent stuff that’s happened.
“And it’s frustrating. Our lads graft and work hard during the week, we work hard Monday to Friday but amateurs, and I say this with the nicest possible hat on, because I do want the lads to get full-time spots.”
Due to postponements of the games at Shrewsbury Town and Plymouth Argyle, Rovers now have a 20-day break until their next League One encounter with the visit of Charlton Athletic to the Mem on Good Friday and the players will be afforded a few days off next week to spend time with their families.
The Gas go into that enforced recess 15th in the table, 19 points from the top six and 10 from the relegation places with nine matches remaining, all now having to be played in a condensed final four weeks of the campaign.
“Our level with you, I wish it was the end of the season,” Barton said. “We can’t really get promoted, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get in the relegation battle. I’ve just got to the point where you want to set the targets for next year. There’s nothing worse with nothing to play for with nine games to go.
"From our perspective, the sooner we can get back into that winning groove at home is going to be key. We need to rip our pitch up and, you’ve seen again, it’s not great for football.
"I don’t think, in open play, we were a side that was capable of losing, same as Tuesday night, but we’ve somehow managed to lose a game that we shouldn’t be losing. That’s very disappointing.”
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