Lee Bowyer praised referee John Brooks for ‘staying strong’ during Charlton’s win over Portsmouth on Tuesday night.
The hosts – backed by a vocal crowd at Fratton Park – asked for a number of penalties in the second-half but referee Brooks correctly turned them all down, despite loud appeals from the home fans.
And speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Bowyer credited the official for not being influenced by the Fratton Park crowd.
“There were a lot of penalty shouts,” Bowyer said. “This is a tough place to come, they are so loud and they’re maybe trying to push the referee into making decisions but he was very good.
“He stayed strong and booked one of theirs for diving, so he got the big decisions right from where I was standing.”
Bowyer was also asked about the decision to send off Pompey midfielder Ben Thompson after 94 minutes.
He said: “To be honest, I thought the red card was a 50/50 tackle. It didn’t look like he went over the top of it, maybe it was a little bit late, but from where I was standing, it was a bit harsh. Maybe the referee had a different angle from me.”
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