McCarthy: Game Hinged on Poor Penalty Decision Saturday, 7th Apr 2018 18:16 Blues boss Mick McCarthy felt his side were hard done by after a controversial penalty saw Brentford to a 1-0 at Griffin Park. McCarthy, whose team lost by the same scoreline in a similar manner at Birmingham last Saturday, was pleased with his side’s performance despite the defeat. “I was just listening to [Brentford boss] Dean [Smith] and he was saying they’ve deserved one like that, a pretty soft one, so that usually means when the home manager’s saying that that it wasn’t a penalty.” McCarthy said. “Yes, I do [think we were hard done by]. “It was a similar story at Birmingham last week. I can’t do anything about it, can I? We’ve played well today, I think. I was happy enough with the performance. It looked like it was going to be something like that which would win the game.” Smith had said in his press conference that Town had given his team as tough an afternoon as anyone this season. “I think that was fairly obvious,” McCarthy added. “They were getting frustrated, our only downside was that we weren’t good enough with the ball. We could have been better, we’ve not made the most of our opportunities to hurt them. And it’s hinged in a poor decision, in my view. “We keep trying to do the same things. And when we got the chances he [Brentford keeper Daniel Bentley] made a good save and there was a good block right at the end of the game. We’re still trying to do the right things, the lads were great, I’m delighted with them.” Asked whether his position at the club has made it more difficult for the team, he responded: “I can’t for one moment in time imagine it’s helped but I think you’ve seen the way the players have played for me, they’ve not downed tools or stopped trying. “They’ve ben terrific today, they have in the last three games. But the atmosphere it’s created is not good for anybody. “They were great, terrific, always, they’ve been great, everybody, for five and a half years they’ve never lacked that and that’s why the opposing manager is in here saying we’ve made it as difficult for them as any other team.” After Monday’s very open game against Millwall, today’s match was more typical of most of the Blues’ games this season. “It’s strange, isn’t it?” McCarthy reflected. “If Cardiff come and do it to you, and they did it to us and nicked a goal, he [Kenneth Zohore] handles it and he toe-pokes it in, nobody’s bothered, it’s Cardiff, it’s brilliant. But because we’ve lost everybody thinks it’s wrong. “If you think we’re as good as every team, we can just go and play how we want because we can’t, so you have to do what’s needed. And I think we have today but unfortunately a penalty has cost us.” McCarthy had praise for Luke Hyam, who was booed and abused throughout by the home fans for his role in Alan Judge’s injury at Portman Road two years ago. “It was an excellent performance, an emotionally good performance, a mature performance for somebody who has had to endure constant abuse throughout the game,” McCarthy continued. “I’ve just welcomed him to my world.” Asked about the chants aimed at him by sections of the Blues support as he left the field at the end of each half, he added: “I can’t for one minute either say it’s deserved, warranted or makes me feel warm and cuddly inside. But hey ho, that’s the way it is, you know. They’ve only got five more to do it.” Bees boss Smith admitted Town had given his team a difficult afternoon. “That was as tough a win as we’ve had this season," he said. "They made it very tough for us. They went man for man, made it very difficult to get our passing game going and you’ve got to give them a lot of credit for that because they worked extremely hard to stop us. “I feel we’ve had two chance of note in the first half. The one from Neil Maupay which Bartosz Bialkowski’s saved with his foot and one for Romaine Sawyers over the top but chances were few and far between. “I was probably getting a little bit frustrated on the sidelines, which is unlike me, but we just couldn’t get our passing game together today and it became a difficult game for us.” Regarding the penalty, he added: “I saw a hand on the back of him and Sergi’s gone down. It’s soft, I’d probably be annoyed if I was Mick, but we’ve had enough which haven’t been given for us when they should. So, no excuses, I’ll certainly take it.” Reflecting on the game further, he said: “I knew it was going to be tough, there’s no such thing as a Mick McCarthy team that lies down as a mid-table-nothing-to-play-for team. “He’s going at the season, so it’s a credit to him and the players that they keep working as hard as they do as they did today. “A very hard-working midfield and they made it very difficult for us. We’ve had plenty of games here where we’re dominated and not won, so it’s nice to not dominate but to get over the line and win a game today.”
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