It has been a tough season for AFC Wimbledon so far and it didn’t get any better on Saturday. Star loan striker Marcus Forss was sent off for two bookable offences, neither of which went down well with manager Wally Downes.
The Dons manager was unhappy about the nature of the first booking which saw the 20-year-old booked for celebrating the opening goal of the game with a fan before a soft yellow card in the second-half ended his game early.
The referee’s argument was that celebrating with any fan, regardless of whether the player leaves the playing area, is an automatic booking, something Wally Downes thinks should change.
“I’ve gone in and pulled the ref afterwards and he said that if a player makes any contact with a fan, it’s a booking. It’s a directive and he has to do it and he has been backed up by his number two,” the former Crazy Gang midfielder said.
“In his eyes, he has done nothing wrong. I’ve got a player in there who has scored, put us one in front, and I’m left with him in tears in the dressing room. He felt he had let everyone down. He hasn’t committed a foul, a tackle or anything, during the game and he’s sent off.”
Downes was particularly disappointed with the lack of consistency shown by referee Nick Kinseley after he failed to punish a Bristol Rovers player to the same extent.
“Their guy, when they scored the second goal, is over with their fans celebrating with them, but the referee said to me he didn’t see that. It’s double standards for me.”
AFC Wimbledon are yet to win a game this season and sit second from bottom in League One with just three points from their opening 10 games. They face a tough trip to free-scoring Peterborough on Saturday in hope of getting their first three-point of the campaign.