Mark Wright slams ‘ridiculous’ decision by Andy D’Urso

Dec 30 2008 by David Triggs, Chester Chronicle

CHESTER boss Mark Wright blasted referee Andy D’Urso’s decision to award Macclesfield Town a disputed penalty on Sunday – but admitted his team had been “out-fought” by their Cheshire rivals.

Shaun Kelly was adjudged to have handled a cross into the box when the game was deadlocked at 1-1 with 14 minutes left to play. Gareth Evans tucked away the spot-kick and the Silkmen went on to wrap up a 3-1 home win.

Wright did not dispute the fact the ball hit Kelly’s hand – but he felt the offence was unintentional as the 20-year-old defender had no time to get out of the way.

The Chester manager fumed: “He’s a yard off him and he blasts the ball, and a so-called Premier League referee gives a penalty. It’s absolutely ridiculous. How do you get out of the way when you get blasted at?”

Although Wright was clearly unhappy with the Essex official, he did not lay all of the blame for the defeat on D’Urso, who was once a regular in the Premiership but has not been put in charge of a top-flight game for three years.

Wright added: “The decision was bad from our point of view but if you’re asking us to be honest and forthright about it, we didn’t perform at all well first half and deserved to be down. They (Chester’s players) came out for 20 minutes in the second half and did what we asked them to do, pushed on to people, and then for the next 25 minutes didn’t do it again.

“If you’re asking me, it was an out-and-out battle. For the first time since we’ve been here, we got outfought.”

The defeat at Moss Rose strengthened Wright’s conviction that changes need to be made to City’s squad once the January transfer window opens at the end of this week. Chester went into the Macclesfield game on the back of a three-match unbeaten run, but Wright said he was never fooled into thinking he had ironed out the team’s failings.

“I don’t think the midfield three played at all well,” said Wright. “They didn’t do it. Defensively I thought we were bullied by Gritton and the boy Evans. So when you lose that many battles, you’re not going to win football matches.

“I’ve spoken to the chairman. It highlights that we need to change things. We do need to get more strength and be more resolute in that midfield area. We do need to get strikers through the door and we do need to get another centre-half or two. It’s reality. It’s nothing we haven’t said all along.

“Sometimes we get carried away with what’s been going on.”

Wright said it was “highly unlikely” that new signings would arrive before Saturday’s home match against Luton Town (3pm). But he is hoping to do some business in the transfer market next week.