Last updated 13:56, Wednesday, 23 April 2008

LEAVING Brunton Park after Carlisle United’s 2-1 defeat to Southend on Saturday I felt the heavy burden of injustice.

Biting my lip, I suppose over a season there is a sharing out of doubtful decisions made by match officials. That balance was overturned against Southend.

The referee allowed the game to descend into a debacle. He overlooked obvious incidents of intimidation against the Carlisle players and himself, as well as allowing cynical gamesmanship.

By the time he had wrongly dispatched Carlisle defender David Raven, he had completely lost the plot.

Raven’s dismissal altered the course of the game in Southend’s favour and, maybe the history of League One this season.

But who knows? It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Southend will return to Brunton Park in the play-offs. If they do, let’s hope this injustice will be overturned.

ALAN MATTINSON
Little Corby
Carlisle