Referee off Bassett's ‘Christmas card list’

SOUTHAMPTON coach Dave Bassett insisted referee Nigel Miller was off his “Christmas card list” after the twice-taken penalty which prompted a Saints collapse at Pride Park yesterday.

Manager Harry Redknapp refused to speak to the press after being banished to the stands in his side’s dramatic 2-2 draw at Derby, leaving Bassett to conduct the postmortem.

The visitors were on course to end a run of three straight draws when Brett Ormerod scored his first league goal of the season early in the second half.

Inigo Idiakez levelled from the spot at the second attempt and Andrew Davies headed his first professional goal to turn the game around, before Ricardo Fuller rescued a point with a last-minute leveller.

But it was Derby’s equaliser which proved the source of the greatest frustration for both Redknapp and Bassett, with the latter claiming the midfielder checked his run on the first attempt, forcing Saints keeper Antti Niemi off his line.

On referee Miller, who produced his yellow card 10 times as well as sending off Tomasz Hajto, Bassett added: “He’s not on my Christmas card list.

“I thought it was a wedding the way the cards were going out there. I don’t know who was getting married. There were a couple of incidents we would say were bookings but they [referees] are under pressure from assessors and everyone else and they go card mad.”

Meanwhile, Ipswich are to appeal the red card given to Spanish defender Luis Castro Sito during yesterday’s 1-0 Coca-Cola Championship defeat by bitter East Anglian rivals Norwich at Portman Road.

Sito was shown the red card for a professional foul on Kevin Lisbie but manager Joe Royle believes the dismissal was harsh.

The Canaries went on to take all three points when substitute Darren Huckerby netted six minutes into the second half.

Huckerby cut in from the left past Jay McEveley, goalkeeper Lewis Price raced off his line but found himself stranded and could do nothing as Huckerby fired into an unguarded net from an angle.