Karl Robinson slates referee after Salford lose at MK Dons

Karl Robinson criticised referee Ross Joyce for two penalty calls as his Salford side lost 2-0 at MK Dons.

Robinson was unhappy with a penalty given to the Dons for a foul on Jack Sanders in first-half stoppage time, which Nathaniel Mendez-Laing converted, and a penalty Salford wanted for a challenge on Kadeem Harris that was not given.

Callum Paterson’s last-gasp goal sealed victory for MK Dons, who jumped above Salford to move into Sky Bet League Two’s automatic promotion places.

After a first defeat in four league games, Robinson felt refereeing calls decided a match where Salford were “the better team”.

He said: “I think anybody in this stadium watching this game will say we were the better team.

“We speak at the top level about how bad refereeing is with VAR, so imagine what we have to deal with lower down because they’re not good enough.

“Today, he gave a penalty, and these were his words – we pulled him outside the box and then my number 22 (Adebola Oluwo) fouled him. It wasn’t my 22, he was nowhere near – Dan Udoh was the nearest player. He’s got the wrong player.

“So how can you tell me he’s got the decision right when he doesn’t even know what player committed the foul? That just shows you how bad he was in that decision.

“Then Kadeem Harris goes and you can clearly see his right heel is clipped and he goes down. I’m not saying the contact for our penalty was really aggressive, but when you give minimal contact for a penalty against, it has to stay consistent.”

Paul Warne tasted victory in his 450th game as a manager, although the MK Dons head coach felt his side did not deliver their best work.

He said: “In 10 to 15 minutes’ time, it’ll probably feel great. When you’re not at your best and can win, it’s a really good sign. I just think there’s a few more gears in our team.

“Fair play to Salford, they made it difficult for us, got a lot of second balls, put a lot of balls in our box. I never felt massively threatened in our penalty area but they did seem to have more control in the second half than we did.

“Maybe it’s just the league, maybe I want utopia. I thank the fans for staying with the team but I just want a bit more out of my team. That’s the honest truth.

“I see them all week, I see how good they can be and you have to respect the opposition. The opposition aren’t idiots, they’ve done good business in the summer, they’re strong and maybe I just want everything.”