Portsmouth striker denies punch and accuses Bristol Rovers defender of pinching in clash

And Kenny Jackett has backed his striker over the off-the-ball incident between the two players in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw.

Rovers boss Graham Coughlan has stated Vaughan assaulted his defender in a second-half clash.

Vaughan has countered, however, he was pinched by the 24-year-old and ‘shrugged off’ the player, before he went to ground.

And Jackett has stated he believes the loanee’s sequence of events.

He said: ‘Speaking to James, he said Lockyer was pinching the back of his arm, which is a bit of an old pro’s trick if you like and he’s tried to shrug him off.

‘Really, it’s only those two who know if there’s any contact, any at all.

‘When I was looking at him (Lockyer) from the side I couldn’t see any cuts or abrasions. It’s something I always look for.

‘I understand it’s not everything but it’s something you do to form an opinion from the side of the pitch, and I couldn’t see anything.

‘He (Vaughan) didn’t feel there was any contact but he (Lockyer) has gone down.

‘I’m not in a position where I’m accusing the player of going down without it (contact).

‘But it’s one of those where I trust James’ assessment and I trust the right decision will be reached.’

Jackett explained he’s seen a video of the incident in the 73rd minute which proves inconclusive over what took place.

He added: ‘If you look at the video it’s not like Sky where they have six cameras.

‘You can see the coming together of the two players but you can’t see any level of contact, or really if the arm is high enough to go to his chest or higher.

‘It’s pretty tough to see.’