Lack of FA support angers under-fire Poll

Graham Poll received the tacit backing of his fellow referees last night, but England's premier, if increasingly beleaguered, official has admitted privately to feeling "let down" by what he perceives to be the Football Association's lack of support over the furore surrounding his recent displays at White Hart Lane and Goodison Park.

The 43-year-old will take charge of another high-pressure fixture tomorrow when Newcastle travel to Manchester City. His appointment is a reflection of the support he enjoys from Keith Hackett's Professional Game Match Officials Board, despite his controversial dismissal of Everton's James McFadden on Wednesday night and the allegations made by the Chelsea defender Ashley Cole that Poll had vowed to teach the champions "a lesson" during their defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

Poll is understood to be dismayed by the FA's unwillingness to take action against Chelsea for the "threatening way" in which a handful of their players surrounded him to contest his booking of Michael Ballack.

The referee mentioned the incident in the match report he filed at Soho Square this week, only for the FA to confirm it would not be taking action. Poll has told colleagues the governing body's reluctance to act has "let down 30,000 referees from grass-roots level upwards in England".

The FA is investigating Cole's comments while Poll vehemently denies telling Frank Lampard that "your (Chelsea's) discipline is out of order; you need to be taught a lesson".

He claims to have urged the England midfielder to "sort his side's discipline out" or he would be forced to take action. He subsequently sent off the visitors' captain, John Terry, for two bookable offences.

That was the second red card he had shown this season, with the third - to go with 66 yellow cards in 17 games - shown to McFadden on Wednesday after Poll claimed he had heard the Scotland international call him "a f****** cheat".

The Everton forward later issued a statement insisting he had actually said the referee's decision not to award the hosts a penalty had been "f****** s****".

Everton will not appeal against the dismissal and it is ironic that McFadden's language actually leaves him open to internal club discipline for foul and abusive language directed at an official.

Poll would have tolerated the abuse had he not been convinced his integrity had been called into question, despite the fact that such swearing is an offence.