‘It’s a penalty’: Oxford United boss’ spot-kick verdict and honest Portsmouth admission
Gary Rowett’s call on the penalty shot that angered Oxford and who was the better side against Pompey.
Gary Rowett was adamant Oxford United were denied a penalty in a key moment which left his side fuming on the opening day.
Oxford boss’ verdict on key penalty call against Pompey
But the U’s boss felt Pompey ‘edged’ the game, as they went down to a 1-0 loss to John Mousinho’s men at the Kassam Stadium.
Adrian Segecic’s first-half strike separated the teams with the Blues running out deserved winners, as they travelled up the A34.
Oxford were fuming over referee Dean Whitestone not awarding a first-half spot-kick as Stan Mills and Callum Lang tussled in Pompey’s penalty area.
The press consensus was it was Mills who initiated the contact with Rowett suggesting his player then went to ground too easily, though the Oxford boss felt it was still a spot-kick.
Rowett told the Oxford Mail: 'He maybe falls a little bit over extenuated, but it’s a penalty because the action is a penalty. Stan gets the other side of the defender.
'I think ours was a penalty. Maybe if Stan doesn’t make as much of it, but nowadays everybody makes something of a challenge in the box.
'That is just how players do things nowadays and it doesn’t stop people giving penalties all over, so I didn’t feel as though it should’ve stopped us getting one.’
Rowett: ‘We allowed Pompey to dictate’
Pompey were certainly the better team for long periods of the league opener, with Oxford largely reduced to threat from Will Vaulks’ long throw, though the home side did push for a leveller across the game’s finale.
Rowett acknowledged his team were below the required level, as they allowed the Blues to dictate proceedings.
He added: 'It was a physical encounter which we knew against a Portsmouth side who are good at what they do. They’re quite a physical side. We have our own level of physicality as well, so there are certainly no complaints with that.
'If you looked at the game, probably for most of the first half and a little bit of the second half, I just felt we were a little off it.
'We just couldn’t quite connect possession together well enough. We had some moments and couldn’t quite move quickly enough to not allow them some moments in the final third.
'I felt as though we allowed them to dictate some of those moments and then I thought for the last 20 minutes was exactly what you’d hope from the first 70 minutes, and we had a little bit more edge about us and a little bit more quality, some great balls in the box and some good shots.
'We maybe should’ve hit the target on a few more, but we’ve had lots more shots than them, and a lot more moments in that last 20 minutes, and really should punish one of those.
'(Nicolas) Schmid makes two or three very good saves, and of course Jamie (Cumming) made one for us in the first half, but certainly I think that last 20 minutes, we deserved something out of the game, but we didn’t get anything.
‘It’s one mistake that’s the main factor in the game because other than that, I felt as though Portsmouth certainly edged the share of the game without really causing lots and lots of problems.
'They’ve had a couple of moments in the first portion of the game, but one mistake gives them that little bit of impetus and gives them something to hold onto and defend for the last 20 minutes.
'I thought they defended well, I thought the keeper steps up and makes good saves when you need to him, and I thought the centre halves headed the ball out the box when they needed them to.
'Like I said, certainly the last period was encouraging. We know we’ve got players in there that have probably trained three or four days. We know we’ve got lots of key players out.’