EVEN culprit Kelly Youga apparently admitted that Colchester United should have been awarded a penalty in Saturday's disappointing 1-0 home defeat.Scunthorpe left-back Youga clearly hauled down U's winger Mark Yeates inside the box after 26 minutes of this dour Championship clash.

By Carl Marston

EVEN culprit Kelly Youga apparently admitted that Colchester United should have been awarded a penalty in Saturday's disappointing 1-0 home defeat.

Scunthorpe left-back Youga clearly hauled down U's winger Mark Yeates inside the box after 26 minutes of this dour Championship clash. The Frenchman was expecting referee Andy Woolmer to point to the spot, but instead he merely waved play on.

Let off the hook by that controversial decision, Scunthorpe took the lead 15 minutes later when Paul Hayes rifled home what proved to be the winner.

Yeates was seething at the final whistle: “I cannot believe that the referee did not give us a penalty. It was blatant!” blasted the Dubliner.

“The defender (Youga) said to me - “that's a penalty” - and I think that that says it all. I thought the referee had initially given it, and I can't believe that the linesman didn't wave his flag. It wasn't as though he just clipped me. He took me around the midriff and brought me down. It was a definite penalty, but nothing much seems to be going for us.

“I don't want to hammer the officials, because they have a hard enough job as it is, but everyone in the ground could see that it was a penalty!

“If the referee had made the decision, and we had scored to go one-up, then it would have been a very different game. It would have been a crucial moment for us,” added Yeates.

The U's success in their debut season in the Championship last term had been built around a tremendous home record - 15 wins in 23 Layer Road starts.

But Geraint Williams' men are yet to win at home this season, mustering just two points out of a possible 12 from their first four home fixtures.

Yeates confirmed: “The team has been so good at home in the last two seasons, but the expectations are higher this year. We are expected to deliver. In the end it was just one of those days for us.”