SAM Allardyce has called for referees' chief Philip Don to keep officials away from clubs where they have caused controversy.

The Wanderers' boss was furious with the Premier League supremo for assigning Leeds referee Mike Riley to the basement battle with West Brom just over 10 months after sending off three players, including Paul Warhurst and Dean Holdsworth, in the notorious 2-2 Reebok draw with Leicester.

Mr Riley, booed from the moment he arrived at the Reebok and given a police escort from the field at half-time and full-time, fuelled the anger of Wanderers' fans when he sent off Bruno N'Gotty 20 minutes into the game after a collision with Albion striker Jason Roberts.

Allardyce refused to condemn the referee until he had conducted a full investigation into the incident and promised to fine the Frenchman if he decides he was to blame. But he rounded on Mr Don for a decision he believes was guaranteed to whip Wanderers' fans into a frenzy.

"Forget the sending off," the manager said. "I don't think he (Riley) should have been here.

"I don't think Philip Don should have sent him to do this game because of last year. I say that not because of the sending off but because of the hostile reaction of our fans in his warm-up, before the sending off and thereafter.

"Anything he gave against Bolton Wanderers was met with the fans'disapproval, whether it was right or wrong. I don't think he should have put Mr Riley in that position because it affected everybody - the players, the referee and the fans. We're not here for a hostile environment, we're here for an entertaining environment. I want our fans to leave the referee alone and support the team. Thankfully our football turned the attention away from the referee in the second half and got our fans cheering us as we tried to get a goal with 10 men. They knew how hard we were trying.

"He (Don) should know, should he not? Is he not paid to make the right decisions and would the right decision not have been to send somebody else? There was hostility from the start because of what happened last year." Asked if all referees who send off two players from one team should be kept away from that club's games, Allardyce suggested: "For a period of time, yes - a cooling off period. It's a little bit of common sense. We have 20-odd referees full time and he (Don) should understand the situation.

"This was an almost identical situation as we had against Leicester last year ... the disapproval of our fans was there for all to see and it didn't help. I don't like that hostility and I didn't like what I experienced before the sending off. It was horrible.

"Of course it would have been better having a different referee. Did it contribute to the sending off? You can't say but you will be affected as a human being, no matter who you are, by a hostile reaction and it will or can cloud your judgment."

Though he had viewed it in advance as a "must-win" game, Allardyce was delighted to see Per Frandsen rescue a point with his 89th minute header and claimed a moral victory.

"The domination by our 10 players was there for all to see and the quality was there for all to see," he said. "We got our just reward.

"The goalie's save from Youri was unbelievable and I just thought we were going to have to suffer one of those unfortunate cruel days again. But it was a magnificent effort by the 10 players who were left on the field and the subs."

"The quality and the effort has not gone unnoticed," added Allardyce.

"They camped eight and nine men behind the ball at every opportunity but the quality of our football, coming out and getting into wide positions and getting balls into the box was delightful. It's not an easy job trying to break a defensive unit down but we managed it in the end and deserved it.

"We ran West Brom into the ground and kept going and going and going. Inthe end we needed a quality ball and a quality run which we got from SimonCharlton and Per - but the way things were going I wouldn't have been surprised if the keeper had saved that one as well!"

Although happy with a point under testing circumstances, Allardyce is still concerned that Wanderers have not managed to lead in a game since they last won - at Old Trafford on September 11. "That still lies as the major factor between draws and wins and we have to turn that round," he said