BRACKNELL Town FC were left fuming after having two players sent off as they crashed out of the FA Vase, writes Dave Wright.

Skipper Carl Davies and goalkeeper Chris Grace were both shown red cards in the second half of their 4-1 defeat at Croydon on Saturday.

Both were deemed harsh decisions which led to Robins manager Mark Tallentire describing the referee as “inept” while Croydon player Andy Mott admitted: “We were on the right end of some funny decisions.”

Tallentire said: “He (the ref) wasn’t the best for both teams. He was inconsistent and spoilt the game.”

The Robins took an early lead through TJ Bohane, but the Southern Counties East League side were soon on level terms and this first-round tie was evenly balanced going into the second half.

But then came the first incident that changed the game with Davies being shown a straight red just three minutes into the second half.

Tallentire commented: “Their guy came in from the left to cut across Carl, who tried to play the ball but got him first and he went down. The ref considered he was the man last man, but I wasn’t so sure as we had others coming round to cover.”

Bracknell were clearly unhappy with that decision and they were even more incensed when Grace also saw red midway through the half.

“It was a bizarre decision in my view,” said Tallentire.

“Their bloke ran through on the right hand side of the box. Chris tried to sort get out of the way of him, but he ran straight into Chris. He went down and the ref sent Chris off.”

He added: “It was a close game when it was 11 against 11 and I am sure we would have at least got a draw.

“Croydon were no great shakes, but you can’t win games with nine men on the field and we also had Adam Cornell struggling with a groin injury.”

The home side were also given a penalty for Grace’s ‘foul’ which replacement keeper, Callum Whitty, saved and they received a second spot kick later in the game.

Tallentire continued: “All in all it was a disappointing day for us. We were disappointed with the result and the manner of the defeat, and we were really frustrated with the refereeing element of it.

“It was a horrible way to end our winning run, but we have to put this game behind us now and move on.

“We have got to make sure we bounce back on Saturday and keep performing well in the league. I see no reason why we can’t pick up the baton and start another good run.”