Decision not to send off Fisher polarisies managers

The decision not to send off Andrew Fisher when he fouled Dan Agyei late in the game between Dons and Oxford on Saturday was 'probably the right decision' said Russell Martin.

Harry Darling's ball back to his keeper allowed substitute Agyei to race onto it, taking a heavy touch to round Fisher before he was upended on the edge of the penalty area.

Referee James Oldham opted to book the Dons keeper for the foul, much to the disbelief of Oxford boss Karl Robinson and his dugout, while Martin felt Agyei's touch had taken the ball too wide for it still to be a goal-scoring opportunity.

"I understand it but it was probably the right decision," said Martin afterwards. "The ball is 20 yards away from the player going towards the corner flag. If it's through on goal, I could understand if something else was given.

"The ball is running away from goal, I'm not convinced it's a clear goal-scoring opportunity because we had players coming back, but I'd need to see it again.

"Would we feel agitated? Probably but it was given how it was given and I felt it was fair."

Robinson saw the incident differently though, feeling the referee 'bottled it' by not sending Fisher off.

"The MK Dons bench were saying the ball went 20 to 30 yards away from Dan," he said. "It went a maximum of five, with nobody else around him.

"I don’t understand how he bottled it. The referee bottled the decision. You can fine managers for saying the wrong things, but it’s the truth. You are paid to get your job right, to show a level of understanding for the rules and to control two teams in the correct manner.

"He’s a really nice human being, comes across really well, is really athletic and gets around the pitch, but the decision was a million miles off being right.”