Ward fury at ref over Smith knock

Smith was a 74th-minute substitute against Luton (Getty)

Carlisle boss John Ward has criticised referee Graham Laws for not stopping play for an injury to winger Jeff Smith during Tuesday's 2-1 win over Luton.

Smith, 27, damaged his ankle in a challenge with a Luton player and Ward was furious that the referee failed to penalise the incident or halt the game.

"It's nasty. He's got a massive ankle in there and I thought it was a nasty challenge," he told BBC Radio Cumbria.

"The onus is on the referee. It's the referee's decision to stop the game."

Interview: Carlisle boss John Ward

On a brighter note Carlisle extended their record of consecutive home league wins to 13 games but Ward believes his side must look ahead to the rest of the season.

"It's a good run and we've done it in different way. We haven't always pleased people but in the papers tomorrow morning it will say 2-1," he said.