Keith Long 'bemused' by denial of derby penalty for Bohemians at Shamrock Rovers

Keith Long says he is "bemused" that Bohemians were not awarded a penalty during the 1-0 Dublin derby defeat to Shamrock Rovers on Friday night.

The visitors suffered their first defeat of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign at their bitter rivals at a packed Tallaght Stadium.

One flashpoint during the fixture came just before half-time when Kris Twardek fell in the box in a challenge with Rovers defender Lee Grace but no penalty was awarded.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport, Bohs manager Long said he felt his team deserved a point out of the game.

"We're bemused as to why we don't get a penalty in the first half, so we definitely feel a little bit hard done by there," he said.

"We owned the game in the second half. First half was a bit frantic and Shamrock Rovers probably shaded it a little bit and they got the goal which was a poor goal from our point of view.

"But we should go in level at half-time. We should have a penalty in the first half. So we're not quite sure as to why the referee said (the Grace challenge) was probably six of one, half a dozen of the other.

"I think you have to ask certain questions in terms of was the referee strong enough tonight in front of a big home support. I think it's a clear penalty."

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley, however, was happy with the way his side managed the game on the way to victory which sees them bounce back from last week's defeat at St Patrick's Athletic.

"I thought first half we were very good, controlled the game and dominated the game and played some really good football. Then second half we had to manage the game and showed a different side to us," he said.

"We did that really well. There was no real danger in the second half. We gave up a bit of territory and a