Whitlow fumes at Souness allegations

Graeme Souness has been asked to apologise to Mike Whitlow after accusing the Bolton defender of "play-acting" to ensure Andy Cole's dismissal during Saturday's stormy relegation derby at the Reebok.

The Blackburn Rovers manager claimed that Whitlow had influenced the decision of the referee, Paul Durkin, to send off Cole by lying down too long and winking at team-mates to see if the striker had been sent off.

"I didn't get him sent off, it was never on my mind," Whitlow said yesterday. "Fact: I have got five studs marks down my knee and my calf. Fact: I don't play-act. I did not say anything to my team-mates about whether Andy Cole was sent off. None were near me. That is nonsense, it is just a story made up by somebody to make themselves look better.

"Only Garry Flitcroft came over and told me to 'Get up, it wasn't that bad' and I told him where to go. If you look at the video there was no one else around. I took my yellow card and Andy was sent off. He was wound up and took it out on me. But you can't retaliate."

Whitlow left the bulk of his anger for Souness and said: "He kept calling me a cheat and a donkey from the touchline. If he thinks that is being a good manager that is up to him. It is his choice to say these things, but it doesn't matter to me... If he wants to send me an apology, I will accept it."

Sam Allardyce, the Bolton manager, was equally furious with Souness and also alluded to alleged behind-the-scenes trouble involving a Blackburn player and a steward.

Allardyce said: "Graeme Souness should worry about his own players and his own team and stop talking about mine. It's unprofessional on his part.

"There are a lot of other things I could mention about what happened, but I won't come down to his level. There was this, that and the other going on in the tunnel, but it is up to them to control their players and they didn't. But that is for him to sort out and not me."

Souness claimed he did not clearly see what was going on in the tunnel, but he is adamant nonetheless that nothing serious took place. "I never got a good view of it – but there was nothing, nothing there," he said.

"There were words exchanged in the tunnel, but I certainly didn't see anything that would warrant police involvement or anyone else's involvement."

A police spokeswoman said: "As a result of a series of incidents in the players' tunnel during and following Saturday's match, police are investigating an allegation of assault made by a steward from Bolton against a member of Blackburn's playing staff. Enquiries are ongoing."

Both teams continue their fight for Premiership survival tonight, with Blackburn at home to Aston Villa and Bolton at Sunderland.