CHRIS Hughton felt Curtis Davies’s controversial sending-off changed the game against Cardiff City.
Blues looked set for at least a point yesterday until Davies was penalised for bringing down Kenny Miller in the 63rd minute.
Replays showed Davies got the ball in his challenge but referee Anthony Taylor judged he denied a goalscoring opportunity.
Both Davies and Steven Caldwell protested vigorously at the time and then couldn’t believe it when the red card came out. Five minutes later, substitute Pablo gifted Miller what proved to be the only goal of a tight Championship tussle.
Hughton, who is considering an appeal against the red card, said: “The game hinged on two moments: the sending off and the goal they scored, one we gifted. There is enough doubt about it. My first reaction was to look at Curtis. He jumped up after the tackle, continuing to play on, knowing he had touched the ball.
“Then you see Curtis’s response when the foul and the red card were given. There is a certain amount of doubt in there. And if that is the case, then you can’t give a red card. I don’t think it was the referee who gave it. That was the impression I got. I may be wrong but it seemed to be the linesman. So that makes it tougher.
“But even with ten men, because of the way we were coping with them, I was still very confident we would have held out for a result.”
Pablo placed a clearing header straight into the path of Miller, who buried the opportunity.
The Spaniard had only been on the field for three minutes as Hughton had to re-jig his side in the wake of Davies’s dismissal.
“Nobody is more aware or disappointed than Pablo at the mistake. Nobody,’’ said Hughton.
“That’s what happens sometimes. He came on and he hasn’t been involved an awful lot recently.
“Even regards the warm-up, I had three others warming up at the time because any changes I was going to make would have been more offensive ones.
“So he has come into it cold but the mistake he has made there’s nobody more conscious of it.”
The defeat was only Blues’ second in 11 league games but it nonetheless put a dent in their pursuit of a play-off place ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Hull City.
