I even heard Stevie Wonder shout 'penalty'

Last updated : 17 December 2007 By Tony Scholes
Preston boss Alan Irvine saw his side secure their first away win of the season. "It's a great win, without any doubt," he said. "Obviously the fact that it was a derby has added a bit of extra spice to it, but the most important thing is that we've got three points, and we need as many three pointers as we can get in the coming weeks.

"Our goals were terrific, and a lot of our play was terrific as well. We got in between them a number of times and got ourselves into good positions, including a lot of shooting positions. The partnership up front did really well, they combined well because they are both intelligent players who get in good areas and I have to say when Neil Mellor went through for the second goal I never thought he was going to miss because he's a terrific finisher."

Irvine said he was more than happy for referee Mason to wave play on when the Clarets went up for the penalty in the second minute. "I've only seen the penalty incident from the side that we were on and I'd like to see it again from the side the cameras were on to get a better view.

"I think the first contact was certainly with Matt's stomach. As for what happened after that I'm not so sure. If we got a break it is probably because we deserved one. I don't want to rely on them but they help, and we've had a few going against us this season so it is nice to be on the receiving end of one if that's the case."

On the two red cards he added: "I think they both earned them. I think it is possible that Burnley could have had a free kick prior to the first sending off when the referee played on, but I thought the actual challenge - a two footed tackle - was a dangerous challenge.

"The second one seemed to be a stamp. It's a shame because I don't think the game was really like that, and I don't think there were lots and lots of incidents where bad tackles were going in. I think they were isolated incidents."

Burnley boss Owen Coyle believed the referee got the major decisions in the game wrong. "I would love to talk about football, but I think everyone saw what happened with their own eyes," he said after the game.

"From the second minute that was a clear penalty. The boy has actually extended his arm and it was so obvious that I thought I even heard Stevie Wonder shout 'penalty' in the stands behind me.

"Everybody saw it and that would have meant that Preston are facing a penalty two minutes into a game, a big game. It is a major decision, but having said that we carried on and got a good goal and I think we really should have been two or three goals to the good by half time and had the game put to bed.

"But the nature of the Championship is that nobody is going to give you an easy time and Preston got back into it with some soft goals that we need to look at and eradicate from our game.

"We then got back in the game at 2-2 and I though we were in the ascendancy and looking to win the game when McCann gets sent off. I think we can see why he gets sent off, but prior to that he was fouled himself and if the referee sees that and gives a foul at the right point, then that challenge never takes place.

"As for Joey, there was a free kick to Preston and rightly so. But I felt Joey had his back to the lad and tried to step over him. The referee says he stamped on their lad, but it is never a stamp in a hundred years.

"I know this referee. I played with his younger brother at Bolton and I have said to him I know how difficult a task it is, but those are major decision in a game, including the one in the opening minute."

Looking at his start as Burnley manager he added" "The results have been topsy-turvy, with tree wins away and two draws and two defeats at home. But when you look at each individual performance we have definitely deserved more than we got."