WEYMOUTH boss Steve Claridge denied Thame's claims that he had taken a dive after winning and scoring the penalty that earned his men an FA Cup reprieve with just six minutes left.
Claridge went down in the box as Thame keeper Steve Smith shepherded him away from goal in the 86th minute and a linesman signalled a spot-kick that enabled Claridge to make it 1-1 and take the Third Qualifying Round tie back to Windmill Road tomorrow night.
The incident led to bookings for a protesting Smith and skipper Tony Joyce and Thame player-manager Mark West said he thought referee Alan Smith from Bridgwater should have shown Claridge a yellow card for diving - as Terras Lee Charles was minutes later when he too went down in the area.
"Claridge never even appealed for a penalty and for them to get a replay like that was a bit of a
sickener," said West. "He should have booked him for diving - that's my version of it."
Smith said later that he was "110 per cent sure"that he didn't make contact.
But the Terras player-manager had a different view.
"He definitely caught me," said Claridge. "I was surprised he made the challenge. I expected him to just stand up because I was going away from goal. I thought all I have to do is get there first and he is going to bring me down and he caught me. There was one before that when I was caught but didn't go down so these things even themselves out."
Claridge confessed his side had been nervous and edgy even before Thame took the lead against the run of play just before half-time.
"We didn't play well but if we had scored first it would have been a totally different game," he said. "Unfortunately we didn't get an ounce of luck in front of goal, but I guess they are more disapppointed than we are with a replay because we have got something out of nothing.
"But whatever you say we have dominated the game and had enough chances to have won three or four games. We haven't had any luck and they have played very very well and that was the story of the game.
"Despite all the chances we have had their keeper hasn't really been forced to make too many good saves.
"Good luck to them, they defended fantastically and they deserved their draw. I don't care how we play on Tuesday, I will just settle for us having a bit more luck."
Keeper Smith predicted the Terras won't relish tomorrow's replay in Oxfordshire.
"Our place is nothing like this," he said. "It's a small ground and a bumpty pitch so anything can happen now."
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