REFEREE Trevor Kettle admitted he might have got the one crucial decision wrong as Lancaster City bowed out of the FA Cup at MK Dons on Saturday.
With the score locked at 0-0 and the Dolly Blues on top, Kettle - tipped to be a Premiership official next season - waved away penalty appeals when Dons' defender Harry Ntimban-Zeh appeared to handle a Ryan Zico Black shot in the area.
"My first reaction was it was ball to hand so I said no penalty," Kettle told the Citizen. "But then I looked at the reaction of the City players and the Milton Keynes defender - but I had already made my decision."
That was little consolation for the Dolly Blues with skip-per Gary Bauress saying: "We contained them well and were doing our job. I think we should have had a penalty and that could have changed the game but we need to pick ourselves up and look towards the league and FA Trophy."
Boss Phil Wilson also praised his men and said: "We did so well in the first half but got caught straight after the break. We had a good go at equalising but it wasn't to be."
Man of the match Paul Sparrow added: "We didn't really create a lot ourselves - but then they didn't really look like scoring either until they got the goal.
"The cross took a couple of deflections and fell to their lad who couldn't miss - and that was a shame."
But substitute Tony Sullivan summed up the general feeling when he said: "I am gutted."
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