Oxford United midfielder John Lundstram unhappy at penalty decision
By David Pritchard
John Lundstram in an aerial battle against Leyton Orient
JOHN Lundstram reckoned players on both sides thought Oxford United should have had a penalty early in the second half against Leyton Orient.
Liam Sercombe was sent tumbling by Jerome Binnom-Williams in the area, but after looking to his assistant, referee David Coote only awarded a goal kick.
It was a decision which perplexed Lundstram – and the U's midfielder was not alone.
He said: "If it's not a penalty then it's got to be a corner.
"He didn't give it so that says it all – Liam must have got the final touch, so it has to be a penalty."
"A couple of their players were as shocked as I was, but sometimes you don't get those."
Watch the incident for yourself, via Oxford United's official Youtube channel
Orient player-manager Kevin Nolan, who disputed Mathieu Baudry's straight red card in second-half stoppage time, admitted the visitors had got away with it.
He said: "We were quite fortunate because they could have had a penalty.
"Sometimes you've got to hold your hands up and say if it had gone against us you couldn't really argue.
"He (the referee) might have got that one wrong."
Lundstram was bitterly disappointed United were unable to create more openings on a day when they got nowhere near their best form.
The 22-year-old was frustrated, but thought it was not all down to the home side falling short.
He said: "You do have to give them credit, you could see the energy from them all over the pitch.
"Every team that comes here now is like that because we're a scalp – They had a gameplan and it worked."
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