The Reds midfielder saw his goal ruled out as Preston held O’Neill’s side to a goalless Championship draw at Deepdale.
Nottingham Forest’s Championship playoff hopes suffered another dent after they were held to a 0-0 draw at Preston North End on Saturday afternoon and manager Martin O’Neill was not happy.
In a cagey affair with few clear-cut chances from either side, Lilywhites goalkeeper Declan Rudd had to be alert to keep out Forest striker Lewis Grabban – through on goal just before half-time – with a deft fingertip save.
Reds stopper Costel Pantilimon, meanwhile, was then responsible for a smart save of his own to thwart a Brad Potts shot, while two Reds efforts did go into the back of the net but were disallowed.
Grabban saw his effort ruled out after being judged to be offside from Daryl Murphy’s header after 29 minutes, while Joe Lolley also found the back of the net for the visitors but was ruled out for a foul by Ryan Yates.
The result marks a second consecutive draw this week for Forest and, as with West Bromwich Albion earlier this week, there was criticism of events beyond their control in the game – the ref disallowing goals on Saturday, Dwight Gayle’s dive on Tuesday.
Speaking to the official Forest site after the game, O’Neill said: “We should have taken all three points and the [Lolley] goal should have stood. I have seen it back and the goalkeeper has spilled the ball, it is there to be fought for and we have put the ball in the net.
“It should be a goal and we have been robbed of all three points, again, in a matter of three days so that is four points and it is a lot to take.”
Here is how some Forest fans reacted to his comments on Twitter:
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