Refereeing decision sparks heated debate in Leyton Orient vs Stockport play-off game.

Former Pompey midfielder Owen Moxon may have been wrongfully denied promotions to the Championship.

That comes after his Stockport side were dealt ‘an absolute shocker’ by referee Ben Speedie during their first-leg play-off semi-final against Leyton Orient on Saturday.

Hatters manager Dave Challinor said the official’s decision to allow Charlie Kelman’s first-half goal in the 2-2 draw at Brisbane Road was the ‘worst’ he’d seen in 15 years of management.

League One’s top scorer scored the game’s first goal on 30 minutes, despite being yards offside after Omar Beckles’ flick-on.

Ollie Norwood and Fraser Horsfall scored two goals in five second-half minutes, putting the visitors ahead after 65 minutes. But Kelman had the final say on 88 minutes, scoring from the penalty spot for his 23rd goal in the league this season.

The game is finally balanced ahead of Wednesday night’s second leg at Edgeley Park, with former Fratton Park midfielder Moxon expected to return to the Hatters starting lineup.

However, the 27-year-old, who has made 18 appearances for Stockport since his permanent move in January, may still miss out on a second consecutive League One promotion if Speedie’s on-the-pitch decision has an impact on the aggregate score after the tie is completed.

Leyton Orient’s opener against Stockport angers Dave Challinor

Speaking about the contentious moment that saw Orient take the lead on Saturday, Challinor said: ‘Massive kudos to our players for reacting positively to the worst decision I’ve seen in my 15 years of management in what was the biggest game of my managerial career.

‘I stated earlier this season that, unfortunately, promotion and relegation will not be decided by the two teams playing football.

‘I haven’t spoken with the referee or linesman yet, but the processes are all completely wrong. That was an absolute shocker. When someone is four yards offside, it’s very worrying.

‘I now understand why there is a rush to involve robots and eliminate human error because incidents like today cannot happen.

‘People are investing tens of millions of pounds in football, and everything can be dictated by a flag and a whistle, which is not a good place to be.

‘Credit to the players for their performance in the second half. Would I have taken it before the game? Arguably yes, but we need to recover and prepare for Wednesday’s game, which will be massive.

Owen Moxon has kick-started his career after Fratton Park frustrations.