FABIAN Wilnis was banned by manager Jim Magilton from giving Ipswich fans an explanation for his actions through the media.But the Dutchman was known to be upset at the sending-off and the consequences.

By Derek Davis

FABIAN Wilnis was banned by manager Jim Magilton from giving Ipswich fans an explanation for his actions through the media.

But the Dutchman was known to be upset at the sending-off and the consequences.

It was the same referee - Kevin Friend - who also dismissed him at Home Park last year in the corresponding fixture.

Saturday's red card was the fourth sending-off of Wilnis's Town career, the third against Plymouth, and even before the weekend's events he was the most sent-off player in Town's history.

But Wilnis's sense of injustice was heightened by Friend's decision not to punish Argyle's David Norris who jumped in two-footed on Dan Harding but didn't get ball or man.

Wilnis is known to be one of the nicest and most honest men in football, without a bad bone in his body, and would never set out to hurt an opponent.

The Dutchman had only been on the pitch four minutes and the tackle, where he got the ball cleanly, was his first offence of the match.

Wilnis thought he was only going to shown the yellow card that he saw in the official's hand and didn't react to being jostled by Argyle players. So he was surprised when he was shown a red.

The sending off was a key moment in the match and Wilnis accepts that until that point Town were defending well and it gave Plymouth an impetus, helped when the referee then gave the home side a disputed penalty.

Magilton was astonished that Friend had been given the game to officiate after Ipswich had complained at his handling of the same fixture last October when he showed seven yellows to Town players, which earned them an automatic fine.

Friend did not caution any Plymouth players on Saturday and only two in October. Magilton said: “I was astounded that this referee was given this game because he refereed the corresponding game here last year and it was exactly the similar scenario.

“He booked seven of our players last year and sent one off so I was astonished he was the referee again and I though he had a very poor game.

“The penalty was a very harsh decision. There was a bit of tugging and their lad has made the most of it but the referee has made a shocking decision.

“The rule is if you leave the ground it is a straight red card so I can't condone what Fabian did.

“The referee also had a decision to make in the first half when David Norris has jumped in as Dan Harding has cleared the ball. Now I don't want to see anyone sent off but he has decided that he could just have a word with the player that time, whereas he shows Fabian a red card.

“Fabian is not a dirty player but he has left the ground and even though he has got the ball I can't condone that.

But the referee decided he could have a word with Norris and not send him off.

“Alex (Bruce) was probably one challenge away from a second yellow and going so that is why I brought him off so we put Fabian on and he gets sent off.”

Magilton also laid into his players for the second time in a week. He said: “We started off brightly and scored a very good goal. But we conceded possession too easily. I have spoken about this to the team, about possession of the football and we didn't do that very well at all.

“As much as we defended stoutly I would have liked us to have more quality.

“We were sloppy in possession and had we played with a bit more urgency we would have won game because Plymouth had to come at us and we could have exploited their weaknesses.”

Skipper Jason De Vos added: “Referees are human beings and are going to make mistakes. Sometimes decisions go for you and other times against you. We can debate it until we are blue in the face but ultimately we have to accept them and get on with it.”