Glentoran boss Declan Devine 'baffled' by 'huge turning point' in derby
Declan Devine says he was "baffled" after Linfield goalkeeper David Walsh escaped a red card after fouling Jordan Jenkins outside his box during Thursday's Boxing Day derby.
Walsh was only shown a yellow card by referee Shane Andrews, with the 'Big Two' showdown ending in a 0-0 stalemate at the Oval.
The game saw both teams reduced to 10 men, with Linfield defender Sam Roscoe and Glentoran captain Marcus Kane being dismissed for two bookable offences.
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Devine believes there should have been a third red shown, and says the Walsh incident was pivotal in the game ending goalless.
He told the BBC: "It is a stonewall red card. The excuse was that Linfield had two covering defenders, but they are five yards behind Jordan Jenkins.
"Baffling. Baffling decision. Whether he (referee) has sent (Sam) Roscoe off to even it up, I don't know. But the Walsh one was a huge turning point in the game.
"If he doesn't touch him, Jenkins puts the ball in the back of the net, we win the game 1-0 and we are away with three points. So it is a huge influence on the game."
Meanwhile, Linfield manager David Healy believes the 0-0 draw was "probably a fair result" following a tense derby showdown on Mersey Street, a result that sees the Blues hold a 12-point lead at the top of the Irish Premiership table.
Healy said: "It is always easy for any opposition manager or opposing team....we were on the receiving end of a decision when we played Glentoran in the League Cup when James Singleton probably should have been sent off.
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"Some you get, some you don't. There were one or two moments in the game today could have gone for either side. They didn't.
"In the end, a draw was probably a fair result."
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