The Chronicle journalist James Hunter claimed that referee James Linington was 'very bad' in Sunderland's 1-1 draw away to Luton Town in the Championship on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Foul for Luton goal?

Speaking to the media in his post-match press conference, Tony Mowbray shared (via The Chronicle) that Danny Batth claimed that he was 'dragged to the ground' in the build-up to Carlton Morris scoring the opening goal for Luton in the first half.

The Black Cats boss suggested that it could have been a deliberate foul, and one that Linington should have spotted before giving the goal to the home side.

The Latest: Linington criticised

Taking to Twitter, Hunter was critical of Linington's refereeing performance, claiming that he was 'very bad' on the day.

The journalist fumed: "This ref, James Linington, is a random decision generator. About as bad as it gets at this level - and that's bad. Very bad."

The Verdict: On another day...

The potential foul on Batth could have gone either way, and on another day, a different referee may have seen it and penalised the offender.

Both the Black Cats and Luton actually rank in the top five for fouls that Linington has given per match that he has refereed so far this season, which suggests that had he seen the incident involving Batth, he may have blown up before the Hatters scored.

Sunderland may have held a grudge against Linington after he gave a red card to Dan Neil in the first half of their 2-1 loss at Sheffield United in August, but on another day, he may have given the decision for Mowbray's side.