Portsmouth defender pinpoints impact of referee on longest unbeaten run in English football coming to close against Blackpool

Conor Shaughnessy believes key refereeing decisions had a ‘massive’ impact on Pompey’s 27-game unbeaten run coming to a close against Blackpool.

But the Blues defender also pinpointed missed first-half chances as key factor in his side slumping to a 4-0 Fratton battering. 

John Mousinho’s side lost their spot at the top of League One against Blackpool, as the longest unbeaten run in English football stretching back to March was emphatically dismantled.

But Shaughnessy felt the game swung on seven second-half minutes in which Jake Beesley scored his side’s second-half goal from an offside position.

Referee Ollie Yates then felt Kenny Dougall didn’t foul Abu Kamara in the box, a decision John Mousinho felt was a ‘stonewall’ penalty, before Joe Morrell was dismissed.

Pompey fumed at the decision and Shaughnessy feels the sway the key calls had on the game can’t be underestimated.

He said: ‘I haven’t seen the goal back, but from where I was stood he was in an offside position. That’s what we were upset about and why Will went over to the linesman at the time.

‘These are big decisions and it made a massive difference.

‘If it touches off him (Beesley), it touches off him. It looked definitely offside.

‘The penalty was at a massive point as well. From my view again, it looked a certain penalty.

‘They go down the other end and score, so again it’s a massive call which hasn’t gone our way.

‘I never like to blame officials, because, at the end of the day, it could go our way later in the season. Hopefully it balances out and we get a few goals from things going our way.’

Pompey started the game slowly and were punished by Owen Dale’s ninth-minute opener, before then creating - and failing to take - a slew of chances before the interval.

Not making more of those openings was also significant in Shaughnessy’ eyes.

He added: ‘We were pretty evenly matched and played some good football before the sending off.

‘We created some good chances, but didn’t take them. Against good teams you will get punished for that and I think that’s what happened.

‘There were then big decisions and big calls from the officials before the red card, which made a difference. Then when we’re down to 10 men it’s a completely different game - and they take advantage of that.’