Southampton Rangers coaching committee chairman Rick Richardson believes a linesman?s call might have had a bearing on the final outcome of last Sunday?s Friendship Trophy clash involving his team and Devonshire Cougars at Devonshire Recreation Club.

The incident occurred eight minutes into extra time when Cougars captain Kwame Steede went tumbling in the box. Referee Granville Bennett initially waved play on but linesman Wayne Campbell continued to wave his flag after witnessing what he believed was an infringement in the penalty area.

After a brief consultation on the sidelines, Bennett then awarded Cougars a penalty that enabled them to retake the lead for good and eventually run out 4-2 victors after 120 minutes of play that finished under floodlights.

?I recognise Cougars are a top team and they do not require any assistance from the linesman, but I believe we fell victim to a sharp Cougars team and an over-ambitious linesman,? claimed Richardson yesterday.

?Wayne (Campbell) was judge and jury... he was the referee. The referee (Bennett) said ?play on? for the apparent foul but Campbell got him to change his mind. Now my only problem with this is the fact the referee was on the spot to see the apparent foul. And I do believe a foul had been committed. However, if the referee says ?play on? he cannot then rely on a linesman who is further away to make the decision.?

After Cougars? striker Raymond Beach converted from the spot, Campbell received criticism from an angry Rangers bench.

Afterwards, Campbell accused the Rangers bench of being abusive towards him. The referee?s assistant also didn?t take too kindly to a comment he claimed to have been made by Rangers striker Janeiro Tucker who apparently told him ? you should be awarded man-of-the-match?.

But Richardson denied Campbell?s claims of receiving verbal abuse from the Rangers subs.

?After he (Campbell) told the referee we were abusive I said ?come on Wayne? and asked him if he knew the true meaning of abuse,? Richardson added. ?And there were players from both teams who questioned his decisions and not in a bad way.

?I think he (Campbell) has a real problem with some players and tends to take it too personally at times.

Campbell did not return calls to yesterday while referee Bennett refused to comment on the incident.