Eagles’ replay demand refused

THE Football League have turned down a request from Crystal Palace to sanction a replay of Saturday’s stormy clash between the Eagles and Bristol City.

A bitter war of words has broken out between the two clubs after referee Rob Shoebridge failed to award a goal to Palace striker Freddie Sears, even though his shot clearly bounced out of the back of the net before City went on to record a 1-0 win.

The refusal of Bristol City’s players, or their manager Gary Johnson, to alert the official to his error prompted Palace chairman Simon Jordan to brand them as cheats, while manager Neil Warnock has been equally stinging in his criticism.