Lincoln City boss delivers verdict on Bolton Wanderers penalty decision after referee hesitation

Lincoln City boss Mark Kennedy was disappointed with his side's result but impressed with the performance despite a 2-0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers.

Goals from Dion Charles and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson earned Bolton a 2-0 win over Lincoln at the University of Bolton Stadium. Ian Evatt's side are now up to sixth in the League One standings with a game in hand on most of their rivals.

He said: “I thought we made it really tough for them. Out of possession, we were excellent, especially in the second half.

ALSO READ: Bolton ratings from Lincoln win

"We really frustrated them. We came here with a game plan to hit them on the counter and, in the first 10 to 15 minutes, that was evident.

“I’ve just said to the boys that there were lots of positives. With a performance like that, there’s something to build on.”

Bolton’s opener came five minutes before half-time after Wanderers striker Elias Kachunga appeared to have his shirt pulled by Lincoln defender Adam Jackson but the referee, Neil Hair, waved away pleas for a penalty.

A few seconds later, he reversed his decision and pointed to the spot before showing Jackson a yellow card. Northern Ireland international Charles made no mistake from the spot, firing the ball to the left of the despairing dive of Lincoln goalkeeper Carl Rushworth.

Kennedy said he had no complaints about the penalty which was awarded after some deliberation, saying: “The bottom line was, however, he (the referee) got there, it was a penalty.”

Don't miss a thing from the club you love! For all the latest updates on Wanderers, sign up to our free newsletter packed with all the latest news here.

READ NEXT:

'First to admit' - Ian Evatt's admissions on Liverpool's Conor Bradley & Bolton goalscorers this season

J