HOW many times have you heard it said?

“Don’t argue with the referee, he isn’t going to change his mind.”

For the first time in his 17-year career, Carl Boyeson decided to disprove the quotation in his role as pantomime villain at Bury on Saturday.

The spotlight fell on the Hull-based official after he had awarded Cherries a hotly-disputed second-half penalty and then controversially reversed his decision.

Boyeson took an age to point to the spot after Bury defender Matt Doherty had appeared to handle a cross from Simon Francis.

The major talking point came early in the second half and with Bury leading 1-0 but with Cherries having gained a foothold in proceedings following an indifferent first-half showing.

However, and after having been surrounded by irate Bury players, Boyeson decided to consult assistant Ian Dudley before changing his mind and signalling for a corner.

Bury midfielder Peter Sweeney told the Daily Echo: “I am always going to say it hit his head! Maybe some of the Bournemouth players thought it hit his hand but I genuinely believe he headed it.”

Asked if the boot had been on the other foot, Sweeney, wearing a Cheshire cat-like grin, replied: “Maybe I would have shouted for a penalty!”

While it is rare for a referee to reverse a decision, it did happen in the 1982 World Cup after France had scored against Kuwait, with the Kuwaiti team claiming they had stopped playing upon hearing a whistle from the crowd.

A member of the Kuwaiti royal family took to the pitch to voice his displeasure before the Soviet referee cancelled the goal. There were no Bury dignitaries present at Gigg Lane.

Although few wrongs have been righted, numerous incorrect decisions have been allowed to stand, two infamous examples being Reading’s ghost goal against Watford, given by referee Stuart Attwell, and Frank Lampard’s goal that never was, chalked off by referee Jorge Larrionda, in the 2010 World Cup.

Fortunately for Cherries, the decision, whether correct or otherwise, failed to dampen their spirits and, just minutes later, striker Lewis Grabban ended a superb team move to level the scores, the striker’s adept finish earning him his fourth goal in three games.

Grabban swept home an inviting cross from Charlie Daniels, the roving left-back having galloped from inside his own half before being found by Harry Arter’s defence-splitting pass.

Boss Howe said: “You fear something like that will give the home team a lift and maybe lead to a psychological dip for us because we didn’t get the penalty. But the lads recovered well. I felt we would go on to win and we had enough chances. I thought we were by far the better team.”

Cherries took time to settle with Bury’s uncompromising but effective direct style seeing them ruffle the visitors’ feathers during the early exchanges.

The hosts, boasting four wins in their previous six games, took the lead through Troy Hewitt’s crisp volley after 14 minutes, the QPR loan striker picked out by Doherty’s cross.

“It would have graced the Premier League,” said Shakers boss Kevin Blackwell. “The movement, the clever step-over, the delivery and the finish were all first class.”

Although one local reporter suggested “Bournemouth’s second goal was also a good finish”, Blackwell tried to score points when he retorted: “Our first one was the pick of the goals by a mile.”

But for an excellent save from David James, the Cherries goalkeeper turning Sweeney’s free-kick around the post in the 35th minute, Howe’s men could have fallen further behind.

And there was another let-off when Doherty arrived to meet Sweeney’s corner with a bullet header, only to see team-mate Tom Soares inadvertently block.

A role reversal in the second half started with Bury goalkeeper Trevor Carson saving from Grabban, dispelling Blackwell’s observation that “I don’t think Trevor had too many, if any, saves to make”.

Hesitation from Arter as he prepared to pull the trigger with the goal at his mercy allowed Bury to recover, while another reason Trevor did not have many, if any, saves to make was because Miles Addison had two goalbound headers heroically blocked on the line by defenders.

Bury regained the lead with a goal described by Howe as “messy”. David Worrall must have thought he was the Argentinean superstar with the same name (different spelling) when he profited from some charitable defending to make it 2-1.

Having watched his initial shot balloon off Addison and into the air, Worrall must have been delighted to see James race off his line in a futile attempt to beat him to the rebound, the Bury man slipping the ball past the Cherries goalkeeper.

Trevor (too many, if any, saves) was soundly beaten twice in stoppage time. Firstly, second-half substitute Brett Pitman placed a majestic left-foot strike past his outstretched right hand and into the bottom corner to restore parity.

And Marc Pugh’s venomous drive had the goalkeeper clutching nothing but thin air before it came back off the crossbar.

Match facts and Echo merit marks

Cherries: James 5.5, Francis 6.5, Addison 6, Elphick 6, Daniels 6.5, McQuoid 5.5 (McDermott, 82), MacDonald 8, Arter 6 (O’Kane, 87), Pugh 6.5, Tubbs 6 (Pitman, 73), Grabban 7.5.

Unused subs: Fogden, Barnard, Cook, Jalal (g/k).

Booked: Addison, Arter.

Shakers: Carson, Doherty, Ebanks-Landell, Hughes, Skarz, Worrall, Thompson, Sweeney, Soares, Hewitt, Hopper (John-Lewis, 79).

Unused subs: Carrington, C Jones, A Jones, Sodje, Belford (g/k).

Attendance: 2,541 (including 259 visiting supporters).

Referee: Carl Boyeson (Hull).

Star man

Shaun MacDonald Cool, calm and collected.

The midfielder was a model of commitment and consistency and kept things ticking over in the Cherries engine room.

He stuck to his defensive duties as Cherries came under attack in the first half and made good use of the ball when the tables were turned in the second.

Lewis Grabban put in another shift up front and got Cherries back on level terms with an excellent goal before Brett Pitman showed his class with the second equaliser.