Forest target Pratley says Swansea were robbed

NOTTINGHAM Forest transfer target Darren Pratley today insisted Swansea City had been robbed of three points by a 'shocking' performance by referee Colin Webster.

The midfielder (pictured), who was the subject of more than one seven-figure bid from the Reds in January, insisted he should have had a penalty when he was brought down by Chris Cohen in the second half.

And he felt there should have been an offside decision awarded against Forest in the run-up to the winning goal from Luke Chambers in injury time.

"The referee was shocking. I said to him that I was five yards out from goal, why would I not shoot?" said Pratley. "He said he didn't see it. The linesman was over that side and he hasn't given it either.

"I think it has lost us three points. While you never want to see a player sent off, Forest should have been down to ten men and a goal behind from the penalty.

"With 15 minutes to go, against ten men, you would have expected us to win. I just hope it doesn't cost us anything more by the end of the season.

"I would have fancied myself from five-yards, I would have asked to have been taken off had I not scored from there. It was a penalty though and the referee has cost us three points.

"Luke Chambers came up to me after the game and said to me 'how was that not a penalty?'. So I had presumed it was him who brought me down," said Pratley.

"But I am good mates with Chris Cohen, so I will have to have a word with him if it was him.

"There was an offside as well, in the build up to Forest winning the corner that they scored from."

Pratley was jeered by the Forest fans following the incident, but he brushed off suggestions it might have been something to do with his failure to sign for the club in January.

And he said they would merely focus on closing the seven-point gap between them and the Reds.

"West Brom lost against QPR and we still have to play them at home – and we fancy ourselves against anyone at home. So second place might have been there for us," he said.

"But there are still a lot of points to play for but, had we beaten Forest it would have been a massive boost for us.

"We have to get over it, but it is a disappointment. I was getting a bit of stick from the fans. But I think even the Forest fans knew it was a blatant penalty."