Luxury goods create conflict for China's communist rulers

That seems to be creating headaches for China's communist rulers, who after three decades of exhorting their subjects to get rich are facing growing discontent over a widening income gap. Officials talk of making sure wealth is more evenly distributed and how to get the rich to tone it down.

As the global economy struggles and China tries to accelerate its shift to a more consumer-led growth model, Beijing's leaders see luxury items as a lucrative revenue source. Many Chinese buy luxury products in Hong Kong or abroad to avoid China's high taxes, so officials are debating a move to slash tariffs to encourage consumers to shop at home.

But the government is loath to be seen as taking measures to support the sliver of the population that can afford that pricey new Hermes bag or latest Ferrari, and it has delayed any decision on cutting tariffs, according to Chinese media reports and industry analysts.

"The government is facing a conflict," said Michael Ouyang, representative of the World Luxury Association in China. "They don't want to promote luxury because they are worried people who cannot afford it will see the advertisements. But they don't want to limit luxury products because it's good for the economy."

"People like showing off their wealth," said Yang Xu, who runs a shop called Vogue 2 that specializes in secondhand designer handbags. "The consumption of luxury products has grown too fast. It's beyond anybody's imagination."

August is all about warm weather travel

August is all about warm weather travel. Those who haven’t taken a vacation yet will try to squeeze one in. Those who can’t afford to take a lot of time off will look forward to getting out of town for the long Labour Day weekend.

And whether you’re going on a multi-week vacation to a far-off locale or just taking a long weekend getaway, a chic piece of luggage adds to the exhilaration. A signature look can also reduce confusion when you’re trying to determine which piece is yours on the overcrowded conveyor belt at baggage claim.

A cute and identifiable bag doesn’t have to have a loud graphic print. Try a sleek model in a vibrant colour. For example, actress Diane Kruger carries a Rimowa Salsa Deluxe suitcase, which spins, glides and comes in a protective hard case ($475 for carry-on, Forero’s Bag and Luggage, 2186 West 41st Ave. in Vancouver). The bold suitcase adds a punch of colour to Kruger’s off-duty airport look, and the way the case rolls with minimal effort makes travelling with a lot of luggage far less cumbersome.

For something decidedly beachy, an aqua roller duffel from Halsea ($400, www.halsea.com) is perfect for a long weekend getaway. It’s a nice size for a few nights’ worth of clothing and a few days’ worth of bathing suits and cover-ups, plus you have the option of rolling it along with the pullout handle or carrying it.

For the hipster teen or anyone who favours an ‘80s-style neon print, Burton has an angular print carry-on roller ($169.95, available at select Sport Chek stores) that’s easy to spot even in a crowded terminal.

A leopard-print pony trolley from Jimmy Choo ($4,995, jimmychoo.com) certainly makes a statement. It’s a good match for the chic traveller who wants her travel gear to reflect her love of high-end accessories.

And for light and versatile packing without losing any style, Mulberry’s fold-up large clipper bag in a fuchsia and grey cheetah print ($450, mulberry.com) is the perfect size for carry-on or for a long weekend. A plus: It folds up neatly into its own little pouch when not in use.

This bag only comes in black and comes with a baby changing pad

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In an exclusive interview before the launch

In an exclusive interview before the launch, Babin expressed his passion about the brand known for its consistency.

Babin has been at the helm of TAG Heuer since November 2000 and draws his inspiration from the TAG Heuer DNA.
He said as one of the oldest watch making companies from Switzerland, TAG Heuer was mostly family-owned until the 1980s.

“We were the first one in 1916 to get the 1/100th of a second mechanical, which opened the gates to timing the Olympic Games in 1920s.

“Till today we are one of the capable watch making companies who has produced mechanical chronograph, represented in Geneva accurate 1/100th of a second.

“We have established and reinforced unique leadership in mastering the most accurate time covering many different sports thanks to out time keeping instruments,” he said.

Babin said before 1916, sport events were measured 1/5th of a second.
This, according to Babin was not accurate enough to establish a real winner sometimes.

With the precise time-keeping instrument, the company has helped to add integrity to sports and this is a source of pride for the brand.

In the luxury market worldwide, TAG Heuer is the fourth largest brand and in Malaysia it is the second largest. “We have a very strong investment and our boutique is the seventh in Malaysia, making it the second country in terms of boutique behind China and worldwide.

“For us, Malaysia is a primary market and by bringing Shah Rukh Khan, it shows how serious we take the market’s potential,” he said, adding that the boutique helped to reaffirm the brand’s stellar position in the industry.

He added China was a challenge as they only ventured into it two years ago, thus they would have to employ similar strategy like in Malaysia to become one of the leading brands.

“Out target for Malaysia is to become No. 1 and enhance our reputation and the desirability factor.”

We woke up Tuesday morning

We woke up Tuesday morning in our borrowed Noe Valley Victorian home with a hankering for a duck sandwich, so we skipped down the steps past the happy workmen who are restoring our in-laws' house and walked a mile down 24th Street to the BART station in the Mission. We walk down hills now and take the MUNI buses uphill. It's no different than skiing.

We were a little disoriented when we got to the train and we ended up going the wrong way, to Glen Park rather than to the Embarcadero. No big deal, we got off at Glen Park, jumped aboard another train and sped down to the Embarcadero for the Tuesday Farmers Market in and around the beautifully renovated Ferry Building.

Three or four years ago, we had a great duck sandwich at the Ferry Building, and we aimed to recreate the experience.
First, we walked from one end of the market to the other, both inside and out. No duck sandwich. Lots of cheese, lots of wine, lots of heirloom tomatoes, lots of $50 ballpoint pens, but no duck sandwich.

"Is there a place here that sells duck sandwiches," we asked a man selling all kinds of honey.
"A duck sandwich?" he said, and then actually waited for us to assure him that, yes, that's what we said: a duck sandwich. "I haven't heard of anyplace like that," he said.

We tried the lady who made a living selling nothing but giant sunflowers. "A few years ago, there was a place where I got a duck sandwich. Do you know if that's still here?" we asked.
What is it with the flabbergasted responses? Yes, a duck sandwich. Bread-duck-bread. A duck sandwich.

"No," said Sunflower. "I don't think so."
Our quest quashed, we decided to just do regular farmers marketing. We hadn't brought anything with us in which to carry our purchases, so we swung by the market's kiosk to buy a Ferry Building bag, a little canvas tote like you'd get at the grocery store, maybe a smidgeon nicer than that. We're thinking $3; $5 tops.

K, that'll be $17,chirped the bag lady. We're the kind of idiot who won't recoil in horror at something like that. It takes us three and a half days to make $17, but we've gotta act like a big shot who goes around making ludicrous purchases for sport.

The plastic bag ban that takes effect in one year

The plastic bag ban that takes effect in one year also drew some contrasting positions after a questioner asked candidates' opinions on "so-called nanny laws such as the plastic bag ordinance" with their "incremental loss of freedom."
Fleetwood, the driving force behind the adoption of the ordinance, confronted the issue head-on.

"We live in a country of enormous personal freedoms and liberties," Fleetwood said. "We don't, however, have the right to do harm. ... They (plastic bags) kill wildlife. It's a scourge. It's easy to change that with the simplest of changes in behavior."

Farr, his opponent, sent a mixed message.
"I am opposed to things happening that take away my rights," Farr said. "I would much rather educate than legislate." But he added, "I don't think it's a bad law."
Pike endorsed the ban.
"I actually think it's a rational response," Pike said. "We have a huge issue with plastics in our environment."

Moore expressed scorn for the new law.
"I guess the real question is, what law do they pass tomorrow?" he said.
Linville also disapproved.
"This ordinance does not appear to be enforceable," she said, adding that she would prefer an education approach that encourages shoppers and businesses to do the right thing. She also suggested that city officials concentrate on more weighty issues.

Council candidate Lehman said that while there may be far more pressing issues for the city to confront, she supports the new law.
Buchanan, who voted for the measure, said he had initial misgivings that evaporated when some local retailers expressed support for the plastic bag ban.

New Southwest Factories to Make Advanced Solar Panels

A large solar panel sits atop a 22-foot tower at the University of California, San Diego, tilted toward the sun on a late spring morning. It appears similar to others in this beach city, but some say it will revolutionize the solar business.


The panel at the school makes two to three times as much electricity as a similar-sized conventional solar, said Soitec, the France-based manufacturer. Lenses on the surface focus sunlight onto solar cells while a tracking system shifts the panel every 10 seconds to always face the sun.

"From the moment the sun comes up over the horizon in the morning, our tracker is focused on it and remains focused on it throughout the day," said Mike Armstrong, Soitec's head of U.S. business development.

"At the end of the day as the sun goes down," Armstrong added, "it will come all the way back to the eastern horizon and wait precisely where the sun will rise the next morning."

Soitec's panel uses a technology known as concentrated photovoltaics, or CPV. The company, which calls its Concentrix CPV panels an important advance in green energy, recently announced it would manufacture the panels in San Diego County and sell them to developers in the southwestern United States.

That comes after fellow CPV maker Amonix Inc. in May opened an $18 million factory in north Las Vegas, built with the help of a $5.9 million investment tax credit from the 2009 stimulus legislation.

The moves could provide an important test of whether CPV represents a real advance, analysts said. The technology has existed for several years but so far has not resulted in a market shift.

"There are a lot of companies that have tried to do it, but no one has really broken through and been able to be a major producer," said Ken Zweibel, director of the GW Solar Institute at George Washington University. It is not yet possible to determine whether the technology is a significant advancement, he said, because "nobody has enough data in the marketplace."

Breitling is a brand of Swiss Luxury watches from Grenchen

Breitling is a brand of Swiss Luxury watches from Grenchen, Canton of Solothurn (first founded in Saint-Imier, Bernese Jura). Today, Breitling is still has companies located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the town where where Leon Breitling opened his first chronograph factory 110 years ago. Originally, the watchmakers offered certified chronometers designed primarily for aviation use, though more frequently worn as high-quality luxury watches. Breitling watches offer aviation function, however, their chronograph functions have become more of status symbols than merely as practical tools. Typically, they have a large face (e.g. the Breitling for Bentley Motors edition has a 48 mm Case Diameter) for better visibility and being used to display more information on the analog dials. Many models are in possession of an automatic winding mechanism which is purely mechanical (i.e. using no electronic components). Many Breitling Watches are equipped with additional functions, such as the flyback function, split-second, moon phase, date display and other complicated functions. And Breitling replica watches also have these features today.
Breitling was a sponsor of Team Bentley during their Le Mans 24 Hours' campaign, which was held from the year 2001-2003. To commemorate this event, Breitling Watch Company created the limited edition Breitling Bentley 24 Le Mans Watch. This model now is still in great value not only for the high quality but also for the significant symbolic meaning. It becomes an item cherished by many watch collectors.
In case you want to buy a second hand or used Breitling Watches, you can also get one through the website. This is the most convenient way to realize your purpose. One thing to notice is that, if you are aimed at an authentic one, please connect the authorized stores, no matter on line or in your local region.

Very Veda: Celeb Fave Designer Lyndsey Butler Talks Leather

A year-round staple, the perfect little leather jacket is as chic on a chilly Hamptons evening as a crisp New York afternoon. On the quest to find the right fit at a relatively reasonable price point, Lyndsey Butler, who put in her time with Yael Aflalo at Ya-Ya, decided to try designing one of her own. That was the spirit, anyway, when she launched her line, Veda, for Spring 2008.

Since then, the Texas native turned New York resident has shown a knack for cropped fits and sleek leather in variations from jackets, vests to skirts, in prices ranging from $150 to $780. Along with a celebrity following that includes Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba and Naomi Watts, the collection is carried at hip stores such as Opening Ceremony, Barney's New York and Shopbop.com, where Butler introduced a capsule collection of handbags this spring. She also opened a proprietary boutique in Manhattan's Lower East Side in 2009.

A collection of well-used heavy bags

A collection of well-used heavy bags and speed bags surround a ring that has seen thousands of rounds of sparring. The faded canvas is spotted with blood stains and patched in places with duct tape. A locker is filled with scuffed head gear and worn gloves that must have struck both leather and jaws countless times.

The “change room” is simply a corner of the gym behind walls of lockers. If I want to use the bathroom inside, one of the coaches has to do a “change room check” to make sure no women are dressing. Or, if they’re busy, someone just yells, “Boy entering the change room!”

The walls of the gym are decorated with weathered posters of famous fighters and fights, alongside framed photos of the gym’s women boxers in various poses, looking fierce and fearless.

Only once did my being male cause trouble. One Tuesday evening, I walked into the gym a few minutes early. A woman lifting weights took offence at my presence. She stopped, glared, pointed at me, then at the door and yelled at me to get out. Humiliated, I stood frozen as she continued to yell. I bowed my head, turned around, closed the door and stood in the hallway, feeling absolutely foolish.

Thankfully, the majority of women have no problem with me and work out here for the same reasons I do – a love of boxing as a great form of exercise and an unequalled stress reliever.

However, some of these women were born to fight. There are a number of highly skilled boxers who train for amateur fights. They are something to watch. And when I watch them spar or train, anything to do with gender vanishes. What I see is dazzling footwork, silky-smooth defence and lightning-quick punch combinations. What I see are fighters.

And yet while these accomplished pugilists train hard to destroy their next opponent, the gym has a remarkably friendly vibe, a refreshing change to the “bet I can kick your ass” mentality at some men’s boxing gyms. At my age, my days of puffing out my chest are long gone. Here, the atmosphere is unintimidating and informal. There’s nothing to prove.

Think of all the things a Swiss Army knife

Think of all the things a Swiss Army knife can do -- open a tin can or bottle of wine, file your nails, or even stab a former fraternity pledge, like the cops say 28-year-old Janseel Singh did yesterday.

Police say Singh -- one of the "founding fathers" of Florida Atlantic University's chapter of the Beta Chi Theta fraternity -- was hanging out with his frat boys at Hookah Hut in Boca Raton before going to smoke some weed in the parking lot with two of the guys after the place closed.

As they said their high goodbyes around 2 a.m., police say Singh decided to pull out a Swiss Army knife and stab a 20-year-old former pledge in the gut.

The man told police he thought Singh was kidding and wasn't even aware he'd been stabbed until he noticed his bloody shirt.

While the stab victim was treated at a Boca Raton hospital for a two-inch stab wound, Singh resorted to text-message-threatening him, the cops say, which is just about as badass as stabbing someone with a Swiss Army knife.

"The beef is on... U better pick ur side... or risk getting hit up," police say Singh sent to the man via text message. (For those not hip to badass jargon, "hit up" apparently means attacked, according to the cops.)

Back at the police station, the other man in the car told the cops that Singh probably stabbed him over a bag of weed that went missing, which Singh presumed he had stolen.

Also, he told police he thought Singh could have been upset about the stab victim dropping out of the fraternity, which doesn't really sound any better than stabbing someone with a Swiss Army knife over a bag of weed.
The cops say Singh turned himself in to police yesterday afternoon and now faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Auto driver returns laptop bag to NRI

A honest auto driver on Tuesday returned a handbag containing a costly laptop, credit cards and other documents to a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) who forgot to collect it while getting down from the vehicle at the Secunderabad railway station on Monday night.

The NRI Md Yousuf S Jilani is working as an analyst at Equiniti in London. Jilani, who came to the city few days ago, boarded an auto near Hill Fort Road near Kalanjali to go to the Secunderabad Railway Station to catch a train Monday night.

"In a hurry to catch the train, Jilani got down from the auto without taking his hand bag which he had kept in the luggage area at the back of the auto," Central Zone deputy commissioner of police Akun Sabharwal said.

The auto belonged to Mir Hyder Ali, a resident of Moin Bagh. He also did not notice that the bag was left behind and left the railway station. He noticed the bag only late in the night and immediately went back to the railway station to find Jilani.

Meanwhile Jilani also had not boarded the train after he realised that his bag was missing. He went about in search of the auto till late into the night.

Failing to trace Jilani, the auto driver went to the Police Control Room and handed over the bag to the night duty sub-inspector of police Babu.

Police went through the documents and other articles in the bag and found the phone numbers of some of Jilani's relatives who stay in Vijayawada. Jilani was finally traced on Tuesday and the bag was returned to him.

The bag contained a Toshiba laptop, eight credit cards mostly of England, identification documents and driving licence, three cheque books and other documents.

Irish army defuse bomb before Queen's historic visit to Dublin

"A viable explosive device was found on a bus yesterday evening in Maynooth," near Dublin, a spokesman said, adding that police had been tipped off by an anonymous call.

The device was defused by the Irish army, he said.

It was found late Monday night local time and was declared safe early Tuesday morning after a controlled explosion by bomb disposal experts.

An Irish defence forces spokesman confirmed that an army bomb disposal squad had made safe "a viable improvised device" early Tuesday at Maynooth in County Kildare.

"We can't give any details about the device but it was viable. It was on a bus and by the time our team was called in the bus was evacuated and parked at a bus stop," the spokesman said.

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Some 8500 police are lining the sections of Dublin where the queen and her husband Prince Philip plan to visit. She is coming to Dublin for a four-day visit.

She will be the first monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland since it gained independence.

Yesterday, Londoners were urged to be vigilant after a dissident Irish terror group issued a coded bomb warning on the eve of the Queen's first visit to the Irish Republic.

The threat mentioned Central London but was "not specific in relation to location or time". However, police across the English capital were on heightened alert and there were a number of road closures as officers dealt with suspicious situations.

The Mall was closed for several hours in the morning after officers noticed that a manhole cover had been lifted, and a controlled explosion was carried out on a suitcase found in Northumberland Avenue.

Optimistic Tanner gets his hide tanned by Old Firm supporters

TV VIEW: AFTER THE week that was in it, it was probably less than ideal that an Old Firm game was scheduled for Sunday, but there was always a fair chance it would happen, these matches do tend to come around quite often.

Indeed, when Sky’s David Tanner said it was “the 300th league meeting of the teams” you half assumed he meant since Christmas, but it was actually just the seventh Old Firm encounter of the season. This pair make Real Madrid and Barcelona seem like strangers.

“Great colour, great atmosphere and, so far, positive messages are coming from the supporters,” said Tanner as the camera panned around Ibrox before kick-off. And with that a Celtic fan thrust two fingers in the direction of his Union Jack-wielding hosts, before disappearing from view under a sea of Tricolours. And one Palestinian flag.

It’d be good craic trying to explain it all to, say, Celtic’s Ki Sung-Yeung and Rangers’s Madjid Bougherra. “So, in 1690 there was the Battle of the Boyne and then . . . ” You know, any notion they might have had about it only being a game would be well and truly busted.

Any way, Tanner addressed the issue of the parcel bombs sent to Neil Lennon and others, and expressed the wish that the game would be a demonstration of how “the football community can show a lead to the rest of society”.

Now, Tanner, didn’t say it, but you half guessed he hoped Lennon would get a nice welcome in the stadium, as a kind of a show of solidarity against the nutters. That kind of thing.

The Celtic fans, naturally, obliged. “There’s only one Neil Lennon”, they bellowed. “Neil Lennon, you w****r, you w****er,” came the reply.

Okay, so that didn’t work too well.

By the time a rousing rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann was countered with an equally lusty delivery of God Save The Queen , Tanner opted to focus on the football. It was for the best, really.

The 0-0 draw means that that particular title race is still on the wide open side, but south a bit Manchester United edged a teeny bit closer to the English crown with that comfy win over Everton.

The highlight of the occasion wasn’t actually the 83rd-minute winning goal, it was the scorer, Spanish-speaking Mexican Javier Hernandez, translating Portuguese-speaking Brazilian Anderson’s words in to English for Sky after the game. “Wow,” gasped Jamie Redknapp, “he’s an intelligent boy on AND off the pitch!”

While Chelsea might well have been cursing the intelligent boy’s intervention on the Old Trafford pitch, they at least kept the pressure on by grinding out a narrow 3-0 win against West Ham later in the day.

It was much as ESPN pundit Alan Curbishley had anticipated, the absence of the injured Scott Parker leaving him fearing for the Hammers.

Mind you, he noted Avram Grant had “brought Parker’s legs in to midfield” in the form of Jonathan Spector, so he wasn’t, in fairness, entirely missing.

Arsenal yesterday? Cohen, Cohen gone?

Mind you, they can take hope from Cork, their bid for the Division One title looked done and dusted yesterday, too, when they trailed Dublin by a not inconsiderable eight points, the Dubs’ Cesc Fabregas, Bernard Brogan, the author of much of their woes.

And look what happened?

A lively old encounter it was too, not least that half-time dust-up in the tunnel. Ah, handbags at the end of the day, most probably concluded. “Handbags, deireadh an lae,” said a TG4 voice over the pictures. Sporting handbags, then, are an international language.

There was almost, incidentally, a bit of handbags on Sky News later in the afternoon when John McCririck and Rupert Arnold, chief executive of the National Trainers Federation, squared up over the issue of the use of the whip in horse racing.

McCririck loudly applauded the decision of Towcester racecourse to ban the use of the whip at their meetings from October, insisting that horses having the bejaysus whipped out of them by over-eager jockeys was “a cancer that’s eating inside racing”.

Rupert reckoned this language was a bit “emotive” and felt there should be some room for compromise.

Like, only hitting half the bejaysus out of them? He didn’t say.

“There cannot be ANY compromise, the public are sickened by it, it’s almost merciless,” McCririck replied, leaving Rupert a touch exasperated.

“This is a moral position,” said McCririck. “You can’t hit anything that’s living in life, only race horses! You can’t hit a cat! You can’t hit a dog! You can’t even hit your wife these days!”

Rupert really had no answer to that. So he didn’t try to find one.

Handbag auction will aid American Cancer Society

ST. PARIS — It’s a clear sign spring has arrived when purses and handbags start showing up on Brenda Cook’s property while she sleeps.

As a Champaign County co-chair for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, Cook organizes an unusual auction on the Sunday before Palm Sunday every year.

“This morning when I woke up there was a bag of purses on my front porch,” Cook said.

On Sunday, April 10, Cook and Cathlyn Adkins will host an annual Old Bag Sale, to raise funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Dozens of purses have been donated throughout the county, and by the end of the day Sunday almost all of them will be gone. Some of the most well-known brands have sold in the past for close to $200, while others will be picked up for as little as $5.

“I’ve made over $2,000 every year,” Cook said of the money raised for the charity.

The idea started in 2005 when one of Cook’s friends suggested selling off a few of the unusual purses Cook had collected over the years. Not long afterward, a mother-in-law of one of Cook’s friends died of cancer. The woman had collected numerous expensive purses as well, and the first sale in Cook’s back yard drew a good crowd. It’s continued to raise money for the Relay for Life ever since, she said.

Local auctioneer Phil Thompson will run the event and refreshments will also be available for a small donation.

Cook said the purses will be arranged on several tables, and the highest bidder will get to choose their favorite item. By the end of the auction, those purses that have not yet sold will be available for $5 apiece.

Cook said because of support from local residents, the event has been a success from the beginning.

“The first year we did it in my backyard because we didn’t know what to expect,” Cook said.

Mowbray left in the dark over Boro-Barnsley brawl

MIDDLESBROUGH boss Tony Mowbray said he didn’t see what happened in the brawl that marred yesterday’s game – because there were too many bodies in the way.

Mowbray saw his men land a point at the Riverside against Barnsley in a 1-1 draw which saw Scott McDonald’s late header cancel out Marlon Harewood’s first-half strike for the visitors.

However, the talking point came when Boro’s Kevin Thomson and Barnsley’s Paul McShane clashed on the touchline on 69 minutes which sparked a 20-man melee.

Once matters had calmed down, McShane was ordered off for throwing a number of punches while Thomson escaped with a booking.

Mowbray said: “There were 24 players in there if you count the subs and coaches and everybody in there. Maybe we’ve got some retrospective refereeing to come again this weekend.

“I don’t know the answer to that. It moved from two players grabbing each other and I’d like to think 18 players were trying to pull others out of the way. Sometimes that is what happens in these melees when everybody just gets in the way.

“It’s up to the officials to decide what’s right or wrong.

“What did Thomson do? I couldn’t even tell you if he was in there. Clearly (Joe) Bennett and Thomson were in there but I don’t know – I’ve no idea.”

Meanwhile, Barnsley boss Mark Robins was furious that only his man received an early bath.

He fumed: “I think it was harsh. The referee could have given us a free-kick earlier than that and it would have been the end of it and he could have given a free-kick either way, it was just bodily contact and just the proverbial handbags.

“I was disappointed that our player got sent off and Middlesbrough’s didn’t – that was the only way back for them. We should have been out of sight in the first half, made some great chances but didn’t take them.

“I don’t think either player deserved to be sent off because I don’t think there was anything in it but if one went then the other had to do because it was 50-50.”

Of the match itself, Mowbray admitted it was a lethargic display from his team who have been stricken with injury troubles these past few weeks.

He said: “The amount of players we’ve got coming from back from injury was the reason it was a lethargic performance lacking in energy, but I’m not taking anything away from them.

“A bit of spice came into the game late on but we wouldn’t have deserved to win it if Rhys Williams had gone through and smashed one in at the end.

“It’s frustrating we didn’t pass the ball as well as we can. We set up to play off the back of the opposition’s possession and it’s borne fruit in the last few weeks. We weren’t as good today as we have been at trying to hurt the opposition.”