Bitter Parkes Berates Referee After Derby Defeat

Tony Parkes launched a verbal assault on Premiership referee Lee Mason last night after Blackpool's 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Lancashire rivals Burnley.

Parkes, whose win percentage at Bloomfield Road is just 15%, chose to vent his anger at Mason after the referee failed to give 'Pool two penalties - one of which being a stonewaller.

In a surprisingly frank post-match interview with the press, Parkes said: 'We should have had a penalty but the referee was so concerned with abandoning the game that he lost concentration and missed things.

'It was a blatant penalty but he didn't see it. I don't think he had his eye on the ball and that has cost us a draw, if not a win.'

And the caretaker boss also said it was 'strange' that Mason was so persistant in wanting to abandon the game midway through the first half.

'He (Mason) kept coming to the sidelines wanting Owen Coyle and myself to agree with him to call the game off.

'It's very strange for the referee to want to get a game off. It's usually the managers, or at least one of them.' Parkes said.

But Burnley gaffer Owen Coyle took a different view point in the blame game which ensued - preferring, quite rightly, to question the stadia.

Coyle said: 'It was farcical at times but the referee wanted to know whether we had any safety concerns.

'I was more concerned about the fans. Coming out on a night like that to a ground with no cover - in this day and age - was great and the three points were a reward for them.'

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