Tindall admits Kelly's foul 'could've been a red card'

Kelly was given a booking by referee Tim Robinson after just two minutes of the contest at Vicarage Road as Cherries battled back to rescue a 1-1 draw.

The defender played a key role in the late equaliser, teeing up Chris Mepham to score.

But many will feel Kelly shouldn't have still been on the pitch to make the assist having caught Sarr on the knee with a lunging challenge early in the game.

"I’ve only just seen that challenge in slow motion and I’ve got to be honest, on another day it could’ve been a red card," Tindall told the Daily Echo.

"But all I do know is Lloyd’s not that type of character, he’s not that type of player where he’ll purposely do something like that or go in with any kind of malice or intent and thankfully for us he only took the yellow card and remained on the pitch for the 90 minutes."

Asked if the early foul was down to Kelly's lack of recent game action, having not played for exactly one month due to a hamstring injury before stepping out against the Hornets, Tindall added: "Possibly. I think that showed in the opening half an hour of the game.

"It’s been difficult when you’ve been out for some time like Lloydy has to then get thrown straight into a game like that.

"It does take a little bit of time to find your feet and I felt the longer the game went on, the better Lloydy got and the more he grew into the game."

There were also some questions raised about two challenges made by Philip Billing towards the end of the first half, including when his elbow connected with the head of striker Stipe Perica.

Quizzed on if Billing was also fortunate to escape punishment, Tindall insisted: "There’s nothing in that. I think we can say Lloydy’s one, maybe.

"But I think all the other ones, I think if you start blowing up and giving them, every decision that they wanted, then I think the ref would be forever stopping the game.

"I felt Lloydy’s one possibly, but nothing else, no."