Charlton boss fumes over penalty 'game-changer' at Wigan Athletic

Lee Bowyer felt his Charlton Athletic side were robbed of a clear penalty in Wigan Athletic's 2-0 victory at the DW Stadium.
Lee BowyerLee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer

A Chey Dunkley goal in either half was enough to deliver the points to Wigan, who Bowyer felt were deserved winners on the balance of the 90 minutes.

But the Addicks boss also believes things could have been different had referee Andy Davies - who didn't exactly endear himself to the home side - pointed to the spot at a crucial time in the game.

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"Naby Sarr ran off their defender, and he blatantly pulled him back," Bowyer opined.

"It's a blatant penalty, the referee's looking straight at it, and I don't know why he doesn't give it.

"That was at 1-0, and the game changes then.

"But that's only a small detail in the 90 minutes, and we didn't do enough to win the game.

"Disappointing is probably an understatement.

"That's the worst we've played since I've been in charge - certainly the first 45 minutes anyway.

"We were so bad, we couldn't put three passes together.

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"That just ain't us, and to lose the game on two set-pieces - which just ain't us - is hard to take.

"We normally pride ourselves on our set-pieces, but their centre-half scores a volley from inside the six-yard box, which shouldn't be possible.

"Then he has a free header from inside the six-yard box, which shouldn't be possible.

"It just wasn't good enough from start to finish, and I'm struggling to find any sort of positives."

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It was the second defeat in a row for Charlton, who'd started the season like a house on fire.

"This is a tough league," acknowledged Bowyer.

"We're going to go to places like Wigan, and it's going to be tough.

"Wigan are a good team. Every team has strengths in this league - and also weaknesses.

"You have to earn the right to play and to win games - and today we didn't."