Millwall's Alexander should have been sent-off for Keogh challenge - Abbott
Last updated 13:58, Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Furious Greg Abbott insisted Millwall’s Gary Alexander should have seen red over his horror challenge on Carlisle United defender Richard Keogh last night.
Defender Keogh needed stitches in an eye injury after being hurt in an aerial collision with Alexander during United’s 1-0 defeat at The Den.
Alexander was only booked for the challenge, which forced Blues centre-half Keogh to leave the field for nearly 10 minutes before he was able to continue.
And Abbott was scathing of both the Lions player and Essex ref Fred Graham for his handling of the incident.
“Tell me I am being biased, but it was an out-and-out sending-off, no question about it,” blasted the Blues caretaker boss.
“I’m not blaming the referee for us losing, but if Millwall people say that wasn’t a deliberate elbow I will tell them they are being biased.
“How the referee only booked him, I don’t know. It was an unbelievably blatant elbow.
“Apart from that, the referee had a poor game anyway. You come here and they (Millwall) get all the decisions that are going.”
Both Lions boss Kenny Jackett and Alexander himself have yet to comment on the incident, which happened two minutes into the second-half.
United’s players were visibly angered by Alexander’s challenge at the time and several later told News & Star Sport that the Millwall player should have been dismissed.
Sub Tresor Kandol, who replaced Alexander in the 62nd minute, headed Millwall’s winner at the death to inflict United’s first defeat under Abbott’s reign.
It means United stay 16th in League One and remain without a league victory on their travels since the opening day triumph at Bristol Rovers.
But Abbott insisted he was proud of his players for the rearguard action which came close to earning the Cumbrians a point against Jackett’s in-form side, who are now third.
“If there is a right way to lose, we did that,” said Abbott, who confirmed he is trying to sign another loan player before tomorrow’s 5pm deadline.
“Millwall is a tough place to come, it has been for years and it always will be. We stood toe-to-toe with them and every single player has given everything he had.
“You could see the relief on the Millwall faces when they got the goal because they knew they’d been in a scrap.”
United were penned in their own half for much of the second 45 minutes but Abbott denied his tactics had been too defensive.
“I don’t think many teams will come down here and put Millwall to the sword,” he said. “Maybe we could have done a bit more but it was hard to get a foothold. We still had our counter-attacks and a better pass in the final third might have helped us a bit more.
“I’m not a magician. I won’t win every game. It’s a defeat at a tough place where a few more teams will get beat. But if we compete as we have done here, we will win more than we lose.”
