Stevenage boss wants meeting with head of referees after revealing he is ‘sick of decisions’ going against his side

Stevenage manager Graham Westley blasted the match officials for missing a handball on the line in the first half of Boro’s draw with Bradford City.

Stevenage scored from one penalty earlier in the half before claiming for a second for a Nathan Doyle handball, which the referee declined to give.

After the match Boro’s manager criticised referee Gary Sutton while reiterating his desire to meet with David Allison, the Football League head of referees.

Speaking after Saturday’s draw, Westley said: “You don’t want to come out and talk about decisions all the time do you? But we ought to have been two nil at half-time and playing 10 men with the handball on the post.

“We looked at it on the footage just now and we can’t see how the referee, who is in such a great position, hasn’t given the handball.

“You can’t see how he hasn’t sent him off and you can’t see how we aren’t 2-0 up with 10 men against us and it’s a different afternoon.

“That’s not to take away from the game that then ensued because obviously when the decision doesn’t go your way you’ve got to get on with the game.

“[Bradford’s goal from a free-kick] it’s another decision, for me a soft foul given. There’s no reason for us to let it in but there’s no reason for sides having pop shots unnecessarily at your goal.

“I’m sick to death of the way things are with these officials I really I am. I say it, and I say it, and I say it.

“I was promised a visit by the head of referees. He promised me a visit by the end of August, I’ve had no message back. He promised me a visit and he hasn’t come. I’m asking to see him because I want to show him some of these decisions, I want to ask him why it is that things are against us the way there are because it’s no question that we don’t get the rub of the green.”

Westley and his Bradford counterpart, Phil Parkinson, were at one point both called on to the pitch for a talking to by Sutton, something the Boro boss was surprised at.

“I’m in my technical area doing my job, going about my business.

“Their manager is between technical areas, in my technical area I think trying to talk to me. I don’t want to know what he’s got to say, it’s not my business to understand what he’s got to say and I’m called into the referee. Why?

“Why am I called into the referee? I’m not out of my technical area; I want to do my job. I don’t want to talk to the referee. If I want to talk to the referee I’d call him over.”