The Imps were beaten by Chris Davies’ side at Sincil Bank, with August Priske scoring twice and Alex Cochrane adding a third after Tom Bayliss had briefly reduced the deficit. However, several decisions from referee Lewis Smith frustrated the home supporters, particularly a first-half incident in which Ethan Laird caught House in the face with a high boot. The Birmingham defender received a yellow card, while head coach Tom Shaw was also booked for his protests.
Chris felt the height of Laird’s challenge was the main concern, rather than whether House had been denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.
“I thought at the time it looked like a dangerous tackle,” he told press after the game.
“I think the referee’s obviously got a difference of opinion there. Maybe he gave the yellow because I don’t think it was a denial of a goalscoring opportunity, which it wasn’t. They had players getting back in.
“But it did look like the foot was really, really high. So, yeah, there’s nothing we can do about that. The ref’s made his decision.”
The House incident was not the only decision that caused frustration, with City having penalty appeals waved away following challenges involving Andrei Coubiș and House, while Dom Jefferies was booked for simulation after going down under a challenge late in the first half, while Priske escaped punishment for the same offence in the second.
Both Lincoln head coaches were cautioned during the afternoon, and although Chris acknowledged the emotion surrounding some of the decisions, he accepted that he and Tom needed to show greater restraint.
“They’ve got an incredibly difficult job. There’s always a lot of emotion around this sport. That’s why everyone loves it so much.
“We shouldn’t be picking up as many bookings as we have. We ask the players to not get too emotional, and both of us have picked up another booking. We’ve got to make sure that we check ourselves with that stuff.
“I understand the difficulty of the ref’s job, and I’m sure they understand the difficulty of being head coaches in the Championship.”
Despite his concerns over the challenge on House, Chris was keen not to allow the refereeing decisions to overshadow City’s own shortcomings, unlike partisan supporters. At the time, I screamed red for Laird, but looking back, it is on the border between the two.
Both Chris and Tom are now at risk of a suspension, having picked up a few bookings each during the first few matches of the season.
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