Bournemouth's Adam Smith hits out over James McClean tackle
Monday 21 December 2015 09:37, UK
Bournemouth full-back Adam Smith says James McClean could have broken his leg with the tackle that saw the West Brom winger sent off last Saturday.
McClean was dismissed for a wild retaliatory challenge on Smith during the first half of his side's 2-1 defeat at the Hawthorns. The pair had clashed just 10 seconds earlier in a 50-50 challenge for the ball.
"He could have broken my leg," said Smith, who scored Bournemouth's first goal. "Personally I thought it was a very dangerous challenge.
"I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was sprinting towards me so I knocked the ball and as I knocked the ball I jumped because I knew he was going to come for me.
"It was lucky I did because if my leg was standing I could have been hurt. I don't know but he could have done a lot of damage. It was right in my shin and it was hard as well but luckily I jumped out of the way.
"I don't really know what happened before. Maybe he thought I fouled him, I don't really know. It was a 50-50 and maybe I caught him, I don't know."
Charlie Daniels netted a late penalty to win it after Gareth McAuley levelled, while Solomon Rondon received his marching orders for aiming a headbutt at Don Gosling in stoppage time.
Rondon and McClean will be banned for three games while Albion boss Tony Pulis will also discipline the pair.
"They will both get fined," he said. "With the first one he should really book Smith, it's a free-kick for us, it's that poor a challenge but McClean shouldn't react like that."
