Howard Webb has written to Everton supporters following concerns over the treatment of the club by match officials.

The Fans Forum contacted the chief refereeing officer earlier this year following a spate of contentious decisions against Everton, including the red card handed to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the FA Cup match at Crystal Palace – a call that was later overturned.

Webb spoke with forum representatives before issuing a written response this week, in which he said: “We are always striving for the best possible performance from our officials – something which is continuously reviewed.”

Barry Willliams, chair of the forum, expressed disappointment at what was perceived to be a generic response to a series of issues.

Concern over the treatment of the club peaked in early January after a run of questionable decisions during the festive fixture list. After the Calvert-Lewin red at Selhurst Park it was clear the frustration had seeped into the dressing room, with Jarrad Branthwaite telling the ECHO: “Every game we get decisions against us. It was never a red card in my opinion.” Suggesting the judgement of on-field referees should be trusted, he added: “Referees need to make their own decisions, in my opinion.”

His comment came after Chris Kavanagh had waved play-on following the striker’s challenge on Nathaniel Clyne before VAR intervened to lead to a review of the decision. Concerns over the technology being used to ‘re-referee’ incidents that the on-pitch officials had seen clearly were already at the fore after Calvert-Lewin had a goal disallowed at Tottenham Hotspur following similar use of the technology. Webb said of such issues that “we have a high threshold for VAR intervention in place with the aim to create a consistent approach so the game knows and understands invariably when and where officials will intervene.”

Fears over an inconsistent application of the rules were also prevalent, with Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski conceding a penalty against Brighton and Hove Albion for a foul that mirrored one on Amadou Onana days earlier but went unpunished. A contentious penalty against Onana for handball against Manchester City, the decision not to give Ibrahima Konate a second yellow at Anfield earlier in the season, and that Everton were, by the turn of the year, the only Premier League team not to have been awarded a penalty, were also features of the letter sent to Webb, in which the FAB said: “Ultimately, as football fans, we feel the way football matches are being officiated is having a negative impact on the enjoyment and love for our game. What we all want to see is greater transparency and a more consistent level of decision-making that is fair for all clubs.”