Nottingham Forest 'let down' by referee over Djed Spence decision

Former Nottingham Forest striker Glenn Murray believes that his old side had a goal incorrectly chalked off against Luton Town on Friday.

The Reds lost 1-0 to the Hatters at Kenilworth Road after Kal Naismith despatched a penalty in the first half of the contest. The decision to award the spot kick for a hand ball was a controversial one, with fans fuming over the key moment in the game, but it appeared to be the correct one.

Steve Cooper's men appeared to have nabbed an equaliser in the second half when Djed Spence put the ball in the back of the net. The right-back was subsequently deemed to be offside in the lead up to the goal and it was ruled out.

While Spence was indeed in an offside position when he was played in on goal, replays showed that the ball had come off a Luton defender after trying to intercept the pass on its way to the 21-year-old.

The game's rules state that an attacking player is not considered to have gained a deliberate advantage if an opponent deliberately plays the ball to him. Therefore, the goal should have stood by the letter of the law.

Murray said after the game that referee James Linington and his assistant had "let down" Forest with the decision, asserting that the goal should have stood by the letter of the law. However, the 38-year-old thinks the law itself is flawed.

"Yes, he has deliberately played the ball, but he has to because he has no idea where Djed Spence is," he told Sky Sports. "He has his back to Spence, he doesn't know he's crept just offside, he has to play the ball so there's a disparity in the rules.

"But the terminology, if that's done correctly, this goal should have stood. And if this goal stands at 1-1 in the second half, Nottingham Forest with the momentum