POOLE Town's Taffy Richardson is seeking clarification on whether players can still query decisions with referees following the FA's tough stance on use of foul and abusive language.

The veteran midfielder made his appeal after claiming the Dolphins were denied a "stonewall penalty" late in their derby clash at Victoria Park.

Richardson also stressed he would have liked the game to have been called off if he had known what was going to happen after referee Andrew Laishley was injured in the first half.

He claimed assistant referee David Bryant, who took over in the middle, wouldn't allow any players to talk to him throughout the rest of the match, not even the captains.

Richardson also questioned whether there was any point in Poole's kit man, who he stressed was a qualified referee, taking over as a stand-in assistant if "the new referee wasn't going to let him make any decisions".

Richardson said: "This season we have had some of the best refs I have had in the Wessex League. They have been so much better than in previous seasons.

"But we read in the Echo about six red cards in one game and you don't know what to think about it.

"On Saturday we had another good ref, but unfortunately he went off injured after about 20 minutes.

"They asked for someone in the crowd who was a qualified official to take over the line and one of the assistants went in the middle.

"Our kit man, Paul Ayley, is a qualified ref and he went on the line and Poppies manager James Wood said he didn't have a problem with it.

"It was 0-0 late on and a cross came over. Lamin Dibba and another one of their players went up for it and Lamin punched it away.

"It was a nailed-on penalty and their players were even laughing about it.

"I spoke to the ref to ask why he hadn't given it and he didn't speak to me.

"Our manager Tommy Killick went in to speak to him after the game and the ref said 'you have 10 seconds'.

"Tommy says the ref said it is accidental. I can live with a ref if he hasn't seen it, but that is worse for me. He admitted he saw it but failed to give a penalty.

"We, as players, make far more mistakes than the refs do, but they should explain decisions over crucial things like that.

"Refs are paid to make decisions, and that is a big decision, the punch.

"If we had scored the penalty we would probably have picked up three points, instead of one, and if we lose the title by one point, that is a big point.

"What's more, Paul said he saw it (the handball) but said he felt embarrassed to give it.

"The ref turned around and allegedly said to Paul 'even if you had given it, I wouldn't have awarded it'.

"If the official had made it clear that Paul was not allowed to make decisions like that like from the outset, what is the point of having him on the line?

"I, for one, would rather the match had been called off."

Richardson added: "I was told several times I was not allowed to speak to the ref. If I spoke to him, I was told I would be booked.

"Then he said 'no-one is allowed to speak to me'.

"We don't swear at referees because it is a club policy we have brought in this season, but I don't think that it is right we can't at least talk to them."

Poppies: Kearn, McGrath, Cherrett, Lucas, Dibba, Sanderson, White, Dancer, M Smith, Barnes, Jeffes (L Phillips 55). Unused subs: Morrell, Cuglietta, M Toy, Wood.

Poole Town: Frampton, Whitley, Skelton, I Richardson, Funnell, Cann (Bowden 80), Sturgess, S Richardson, T Smith, Culliford, S Smith. Unused subs: Fairbrother, Yelland, Brown, Reeves.