Johnnie Jackson was satisfied with a point and a clean sheet at Bradford City today, but he felt that the Dons were denied a penalty.
Omar Bugiel was clearly grappled in the penalty area early in the first-half, but mass appeals were waved away by the match officials.
It was a key moment of a match that offered little in the way of real attacking quality as both sides struggled to get going on a pitch that wasn’t in the best of states.
Nevertheless, our manager was pleased with a clean sheet on the road and was quick to highlight the performances of debutants Kofi Balmer and Josh Kelly during his post-match interview.
Listen to the full interview below.
ON THE PERFORMANCE…
It’s a really good point. The team were excellent today in the way we went about our work. It’s a tough place to play on this pitch. We knew it wasn’t going to be pretty today but what we needed was to be hardworking, dig-in, and defend well and hope for some luck. To come away with a clean sheet and put in the effort that we did was very pleasing.
ON MISSING OUT ON A PENALTY…
The referee thought that both players were holding each other. Their defender clearly pulls Omar down. It’s a penalty and it robs us of the chance of taking the lead. It could’ve been the difference in the game. He gave something that was identical to them, so I’m not sure how he can give one and not the other.
ON JOSH AND KOFI’S DEBUTS…
It was difficult for Josh because of the type of game that it was. We were hoping for one moment for him as he was playing on the shoulder. It was tough for us to provide him with the quality of service that he needs. He put a great shift in, pressed really well, and looked bright with his movement. There’ll be better games for him to come.
It was a defenders game today, Kofi looked at home, he was on the front foot, he won his headers and I thought he was excellent alongside Lee Brown. A new partnership that haven’t played with each other before. I thought the whole team defended really well.
ON JOHN-JOE O’TOOLE…
He’s going to help us. He’s been there seen it and done it at this level. We’ll use him where we need him and we will need him. We’re delighted to have him on board at a time when we’ve picked up injuries.
ON THE INCIDENT AT THE END OF THE GAME…
I think there was some racist abuse aimed towards Omar Bugiel. He’s speaking to the referee to report it. I don’t know what was said but we will wait to see what comes from that.
PICS: Paul Thompson (Pro Sports Images)