Reading 0-0 Burnley: Sea Dyche hits out with Hal Robson-Kanu
Saturday 13 February 2016 19:33, UK
Burnley manager Sean Dyche hit out at Reading winger Hal Robson-Kanu after his side were held to a 0-0 Championship draw at the Madejski Stadium.
After Burnley had been awarded a controversial second-half penalty, Robson-Kanu appeared to kick the ball off the spot - and also scuff the spot - before leading scorer Andre Gray could take it.
Robson-Kanu was booked and Gray subsequently missed the spot-kick as Reading goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi made a spectacular save. A furious Al-Habsi and most of his team-mates had accused Gray of diving to win the penalty.
"From where I was looking, I did see their player (Robson-Kanu) dig the spot up," Dyche said. "I've never seen that in my career and I hope my players never conduct themselves in that manner.
"I would not expect my players to move the ball off the spot when someone is ready to take a penalty and then kick the floor up. I think that's really poor.
"Andre a cheat? That's standard, not just for Andre but across the board. If a player goes down, everyone calls him a cheat. I'm not worried about that.
"I haven't seen it back, but my hunch is that he got caught. And if he wasn't, the intent to catch him is there.
"We knew that it was going to be a hard-fought affair. But it's another clean sheet, another point and that's got to be good."
Burnley, now unbeaten in eight matches, should have been ahead after only three minutes. George Boyd crossed from the byline, but Gray, scorer of 18 goals for Burnley and Brentford this season, scooped his shot high over the crossbar.
Reading replied quickly, with Yann Kermorgant's downward header from a Robson-Kanu centre smartly saved by Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
The rest of the first half was evenly contested, though Sam Vokes and Boyd both wasted openings for Burnley.
Gray narrowly missed a cross from Matt Lowton at the far post - and then from the hotly contested spot-kick in the 59th minute - but Reading rallied towards the end, with Robson-Kanu and Kermorgant squandering openings.
Of the penalty, Brian McDermott, the Reading manager, said: "I couldn't tell you whether it was or not. Ali said he didn't touch him (Gray). He thinks it wasn't a penalty.
"It was very difficult to see. I've looked back at it three or four times and it doesn't look like Ali's touched him. Then Ali made a great save from the penalty and we're delighted with that."
Of Robson-Kanu's apparent spot-kick behaviour, McDermott said: "I've no view on that. Our players were incensed for a reason, but Ali's made a fabulous save and that was the right outcome."
