ADAM JOHNSON has called for video technology to assist referees after the Sunderland winger’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside last weekend.

Johnson would have scored the winner against West Bromwich Albion had linesman Constantine Hatzidakis not flagged for offside, which was proven moments later to be in error as the midfielder was level with the last defender.

Saturday’s officiating blunder was not the only one in the Premier League at the weekend, and not the first time Sunderland have suffered an injustice in recent weeks, with Rory McArdle’s foul on Steven Fletcher going unpunished in the Black Cats’ FA Cup exit at Bradford City.

Johnson feels now is the right time for technology to be brought in.When asked if there was a case for officials to explain decisions and for instant video referrals, Johnson replied: “Yeah, both I suppose.

“But they’re not going to come out and explain that they were wrong. They’d be doing that four or five times a game, and if we get like that it’s going to be hard.

“I think video evidence, maybe, only takes two seconds, doesn’t it? The fourth official saying whether it’s offside or not, then the game carries on.

“It just seems so easy. Why is it not done? Why is it taking so long? It’s just common sense, isn’t it? I don’t know what’s so difficult about it.

“It was frustrating for me personally but for the team it was hard. It’s not just us though, it’s happening a lot to teams, week in week out. It’s four or five decisions a game, it’s just too much.

“We should have had so many thinking back, penalties, sendings off and all sorts of things. You’ve just got to keep going when it’s going against you and hopefully that will change.”

Johnson revealed that referee Mike Jones did not explain why his goal was disallowed. “The refs explain?” the England winger laughed.

“I honestly don’t go and ask, and as it happened in such quick time I didn’t know whether I was on or not. I only knew at half-time, and there’s nothing you can do about it then.

“You can’t say anything, can you? It’s part of the game.

“I think it’s gone on for that long, decisions going against teams. It happens a lot, it’s just part of the game. It’s a tough job, and things happen so quickly, but I think a couple of seconds of video would sort all of those arguments out, and refs wouldn’t have to come out and say ‘Sorry, I got that wrong’.

“It’d just be settled there and then, and make everyone’s jobs easier, I would imagine.”

England manager Roy Hodgson made a rare trip to the North-East, if only to see Albion striker Saido Berahino, and Johnson wants to take any opportunity he can to impress a manager who has continually overlooked the Easington-raised man.

“It’s encouraging, obviously, if he’s coming to watch us,” said Hodgson, whose last cap for England came under Stuart Pearce after Fabio Capello resigned in 2012.

“I don’t know who he was here to watch, in particular. Probably (Saido) Berahino, I presume.

“But it’s nice to try and do well when he’s there, to try and put things in his head. I try to do the best I can.

“But I’m just concentrating on Sunderland, to be honest."

Johnson is likely to be in the Sunderland side to face Manchester United on Saturday, and feels that this is an opportunity for the Black Cats to repeat their achievement from last season when they picked up a 1-0 win in April en route to sealing an unlikely race against relegation from the Premier League.

“You look at United and you’re used to them playing free-flowing football, beating teams six and seven at Old Trafford. They’re a lot different now,” said the former Manchester City man.

“I don’t think they’ve played well that much this season, as their manager will say, but they keep winning games.

“We’d snap your hands off if we could play awful every week and win games, that’s what they are doing and it’s great for them.

“If there’s any optimism for us it’s that we know they haven’t done that well and we can try to put our game on them as teams have done this season.

“I don’t think last season will have any difference on this game. Both teams are different now. It’s nice to have won at Old Trafford but I think they’re a different team and have a different way of playing. We want to go there and win the game and come out with a positive result which we need.”