Coventry boss explains referee view on red card against Blackburn

Mark Robins thought Liam Kitching’s red card against Blackburn Rovers was dubious, but he stated he left the decision to the referee.

The Sky Blues defender pulled down Sam Gallagher, who was sent off with half an hour remaining in the game. Rovers dominated the rest of the game but failed to score.

Robins did not necessarily agree with Kitching’s dismissal because there was a covering defender, but he did provide the referee’s explanation for the judgment.

“Bobby (Thomas) was there as a covering defender but the referee said that the player’s next action was to shoot, in his opinion,” Robins went on to say.

“He was still 20-25 yards away, but he had to make a decision, and he did, and there wasn’t much you could do about it.

“I don’t think there’s much value in discussing appeals at this stage. I’ll look at it again, but he (Kitching) will have to learn.

He went on to say, “We gave it our all in the game.

“There were some really brilliant sequences of play, including one of the best moments in the game when Kels (Liam Kelly) struck the post and it remained out, but there wasn’t much else in it.

“They had a lot of the ball and looked nervous, and we could have taken advantage of that, but we just didn’t have the energy or quality at times, so we had a little lull in the game.”

“But to get a clean sheet was something that was needed because we haven’t had one for a while, so in that sense, it was a positive.”

Kyle McFadzean was greeted enthusiastically by the visiting fans and cheered off the field following the goalless draw. Robins was overjoyed that the long-serving former Coventry City player had the send-off he deserved.

“It was nice at the end that they stopped at the end of clapped for Fadz, the supporters were outstanding and showed their appreciation,” he went on to say.

“That rounds off everything for Fadz which is very nice.”

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