The Valley of sin
CHRIS LAKEY Peter Grant pointed an accusing finger at controversial defender Danny Mills as the Canaries slumped to an agonising 2-0 defeat at Charlton last night.
CHRIS LAKEY
Peter Grant pointed an accusing finger at controversial defender Danny Mills as the Canaries slumped to an agonising 2-0 defeat at Charlton last night. Mills was involved in an incident with Dion Dublin in the closing stages of the game which led the City skipper being shown a straight red card.
Television replays proved conclusively that Dublin made no contact with Mills, although referee Jarnail Singh indicated that he had seen a head-butt.
However, City boss Grant said that Mills - a one time Norwich team mate now on loan at The Valley from Manchester City - should not have been on the pitch at that late stage after an earlier incident in which he claimed Mills had elbowed Darren Huckerby.
“Everybody has seen what Mills has done to Huckerby,” he said. “It was not a head-butt - if it had been a head-butt he would still be lying there.
“The player that was on the pitch should have been off anyway he swung his elbow at him (Huckerby) and he deserved to go.
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“There was 20 minutes left and the game could have been completely different - with 20 minutes to go, Mills goes and we could go on and win the game.”
The incident happened soon after City's game plan had collapsed with two penalties in the space of just three minutes. Charlton sub Izale McLeod was at the centre of both but there were few complaints from Grant.
“A big kick up the pitch, we let it bounce and all of a sudden it's a penalty kick,” he said.
“It is a tough, tough place to come, but they showed their resilience, especially the two centre backs, because we were under the cosh for periods of the game.
“But I always feel with the likes of Cureton, Huckerby and Strihavka - if they are in the game you have the chance of winning it and just when we were about to do that one kick up the pitch costs us dearly.
“If you go away with a point you go away happy.”
