Former Cardiff City duo Jobi McAnuff and Danny Gabbidon believe that Cardiff City should have had a first half penalty against Nottingham Forest this evening.
The first half at the Cardiff City Stadium ended goalless, but the Bluebirds felt as if they should have had a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Matty Cash attempted to win the ball back off Cardiff winger Josh Murphy, with Murphy going down in the penalty area, although referee Stephen Martin did not award a penalty.
It was an incident that ex-Bluebird McAnuff, who is a pundit for tonight’s game on Sky Sports, felt that Cash got away with.
“Matty Cash is trying to nick the ball from the wrong side there,” said McAnuff.
“For me, he doesn’t seem to make any contact with the ball itself and there is a little niggle, enough contact to send Josh Murphy over and I would be very disappointed if I was Cardiff not to be given that penalty.
“I don’t (think he touches the ball), he has an initial bite at it and he just gets a little tap on the ankle which is enough to send Josh Murphy over.”
McAnuff’s thoughts were echoed by that of Gabbidon, who was a teammate of the current Leyton Orient assistant manager’s during the 2004-05 season in South Wales.
Gabbidon felt that referee Martin was not in the best of positions to see the contact from Cash.
“If you look at the referee, he has got a little gap of vision there to look through but I think that he is a little bit too far away,” Gabbidon added.
“We have had to look at it four or five times ourselves, but I think Matty Cash is a lucky boy there.
“He just has a little nibble. For me, he catches his right foot and doesn’t get anything on the ball. The ref is trying to look around the corner but is maybe just too far away. He is a really lucky boy.”
