WREXHAM’s 1-0 victory over Stockport was clouded by controversy after the decisive goal was the direct result of a contentious penalty.
Former Premier League star Jay Rodriguez scored his first goal for the Red Dragons since joining in January by reacting quickest to his own penalty miss and slotting home the rebound.
But Stockport fans were left fuming with the decision to award the spot kick, claiming that the referee had got it wrong.
Referee Simon Mather pointed to the spot after a conversation with the linesman about a handball in the box.
Wrexham star James McClean had leapt up for a header inside the area and nodded the ball into Stockport defender Ibou Touray.
The ball made contact with Touray from close range, with McClean convinced it had hit the Gambian international’s hand.
Former Stoke star McClean was furious after an initial decision to award a corner, waving his arms in the air and berating the linesman for not giving a penalty.
A delay of nearly a minute then followed, before referee Mather decided to point to the spot after a conversation with his assistant.
That decision left Stockport fans seething, taking to social media to vent after conceding in a huge promotion fight in League One.
One wrote: “Great refereeing by James McClean”.
While another added: “Didn’t create nearly enough to warrant getting anything. Doesn’t help that James McClean was officiating the game!”
A third fumed: “How is that a pen?!”
And a jokingly replied: “It is when McClean is officiating”.
Stockport manager Dave Challinor bit his tongue when it came to the decision.
“I am not going to get myself in trouble by saying what I really believe”, he said.
“It has never been a penalty. There were arguments for a potential penalty on the decision before with Sam Smith but that was more of a penalty than the one that was given.
“And for a linesman to get involved on the far side of the pitch and do nothing else in the game cost us a point.
“It flipped the momentum in the first half and was another poor decision.”
The game included even more drama too, after a Stockport fan was arrested at half-time.
SunSport understand that the supporter in question has alleged that McClean attacked him.
However, both Wrexham and the Police have reviewed CCTV and there appears to be no evidence of the incident happening and McClean has not been arrested.
The League One clash was certainly feisty with 10 yellow cards and one red card dished out by the referee over the course of 90 minutes.
Wrexham’s victory sends the Red Dragons three points clear of third-placed Wycombe who have a game in hand and also takes them nine clear of the Hatters in fifth.
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