Burnley boss Sean Dyche says he does not believe striker Ashley Barnes gets the protection he deserves from the men in the middle.
The Clarets striker was on the wrong end of a yellow card from Lee Mason, the referee in the draw with Aston Villa last weekend, and there were a couple of points in the game where he looked as though he may well talk himself into a red card after he was the victim of a couple of hefty challenges that went unpunished.
His booking for dissent at Villa Park was his second yellow of the campaign and he quite obviously thought he was on the wrong end of some decisions.
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Not for the first time, either, as he was clearly fouled in the win over Norwich the week before although a penalty was not given, however, despite that he still has four goals to his name already in the Premier League.
Barnes also brings a lot to the team and was involved in the build-up to Jay Rodriguez’s equaliser against Villa on Saturday.
Boss Dyche is not looking for any special treatment and just wants his player to get a fair deal. “We only want parity, I don’t think Barnesy gets a lot,” said Dyche. “He is a competitor without a doubt, but he doesn’t seem to get a lot and I don’t think he got a lot on Saturday.”
Barnes is not short of an opinion when things go against him and that can often lead to punishment from the referee, but Dyche is convinced he does not get the rub of the green.
His yellow card at Villa takes Burnley’s total to nine for the season. Arsenal are the worst offenders so far and have 18 to their name.
