Shrewsbury boss Matt Taylor mystified over modern day handball rule

Barry Cotter smashed the ball at Carl Winchester from point-blank range, it hit the Town wing-back on the arm, and referee Simon Mather pointed to the spot.

There was nothing Winchester could do to avoid it, and Taylor says he struggles to understand how the defender can be penalised for it.

He said: “I am at a loss, a lot of coaches and a lot of managers up and down the country are at a loss with this handball rule.

“I do not know for the life of me what Carl Winchester is meant to do. I spoke to him in the dressing room and he said it hit his chest and then his arm.

“But his arm is not in an unnatural position, it is not outside of his body.

“I do not understand, but we are all playing by the same rules, it is a tough one because I end up getting frustrated. I do not think it is a penalty.

“The first goal in any game is vitally important, it gives the home team something to hold on to.

“In the game at Barnsley on Tuesday it sometimes means that maybe you have to come out a bit more.”

Barnsley’s second goal was also controversial on an evening where nothing went Shrewsbury’s way.

And Taylor said after the game they have worked hard as a group to not worry about things on the pitch they cannot impact.

He said: “I speak to the players a lot and I have presented to them a lot this year on controlling the controllables.

“From a personal perspective, I probably spend too much time worrying about things that I cannot directly affect.

“One of those things that I cannot directly affect is the decision-making that is made by officials.

“I understand they are human, no issues whatsoever, and I take that on board. It is just really disappointing when the emotion is raw after a game.

“They are human and they make mistakes and without them, we would not have a game.”