Zola pleased with battlers

Last updated : 06 March 2009 By Plymouth_hammer

Carlton Cole scored a wonderful team goal before being sent-off for two innocuous bookable offenses in a game that was dominated by poor decisions from the inexperienced referee.

"It's an important win and a very well-deserved win," Zola told the official site.


"I think that until we got the goal and until Carlton Cole got sent off the team played a fantastic match. More than just to get the three points, to see the players play like this makes me feel very pleased and very proud."

"The build-up to the goal was magnificent. One or two touches and pass-and-move, it was very, very good."

Speaking about Cole's dismissal he admitted that he was very disappointed with the decision. "For me it was not a reckless challenge. Carlton Cole didn't even look at the defender. He just went for the ball. I have seen him do it so many times. He is so good at controlling the ball in those situations. He didn't want to cause any damage. For me it was too much.


"Understand me, I don't want to be too critical of the referee. We are here to help the referees because they are human beings like us and they can make mistakes. We need to support them because they are a very important part of the game. Until the red card it was a game where both of the teams were trying to play.


"It was a magnificent game of football up to that moment. Then it got a little bit more spicy but that's it, as simple as that."