Lee Bowyer says it is vital that the match official’s are strong-willed at the weekend – with the Charlton chief adamant Gillingham should never have got a penalty in the 1-1 draw in Kent earlier in the season.
Chuks Aneke put the Addicks ahead shortly after the hour mark only for Jordan Graham to equalise from the spot after referee Robert Lewis ruled Chris Gunter had fouled John Akinde.
“I’ve watched the away game back and we were unlucky not to win it – we controlled the match,” said Charlton boss Bowyer. “They got a penalty that wasn’t a penalty. The lad went down and it was never a penalty.
“We need the officials to be strong because they get put under a lot of pressure from the sideline. Their fella took two steps and then hit the ground because he had over-run it! The ref was miles behind play.
“Gillingham went to Sunderland a couple of weeks ago and got a good result there. Sunderland are a team that everyone is talking about being in the mix at the end, and rightly so. They have been building a squad to get out of this division for a number of years and Gillingham went and got a good point.
“They are a difficult side to play against. We have to compete against them, I’ve said that to the lads. They are very good at the horrible side of the game. They put balls into your box – whether that is a free-kick or a throw-in – they ask question after question of your defence. We have to be at it from the start.”
PHOTO: PAUL EDWARDS
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