Ben Garner was fuming with the officials following Bristol Rovers’ 4-1 defeat at Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.
The Gas fell victim to a pair of quick-fire bursts of two goals in either half from the home side, with Joe Wright, Madger Gomes, Taylor Richards and Jon Taylor getting on the scoresheet.
Luke Leahy scored a stunning lob for the Pirates to halve the deficit before the break, but Garner believes the referee, Trevor Kettle, gave his side “a mountain to climb”.
Garner was unhappy a soft free-kick was awarded which led to Wright’s 23rd-minute opener, and his fury rose on the half hour when a push in the back from another dead ball was missed and Gomes was allowed to slam a loose ball into the net.
“The biggest frustration for us, and we’re sick and tired of saying it, is decisions going against us and making it so difficult for us in games,” Garner said.
“The push in the back for the second was as blatant as you’re going to get and it gives us a mountain to climb.
“We score a great goal to get back in the game but we’re 2-0 down when we shouldn’t be, so it’s frustrating from that point of view.
“Second half we shot ourselves in the foot really, but we need those decisions in key moments in games. They’re massive decisions that impact games, and we’re having too many of them go against us.
“We’re just disappointed with the uphill task we were set because of those decisions. We can look at things in house that we need to improve on, we know that, but we need decisions that reflect the game and get a fair balance.
“It needs to improve. There’s no point saying referees are referees and they keep getting decisions wrong.”
Gasheads’ frustrations with Garner continue to rise after a five-game winless run, in all competitions, to start the season.
The 40-year-old recognised their disappointment at full time and accepted the criticism.
“That’s on me. I apologise for the result and how it seems, but for those that have watched the game will see 4-1 wasn’t a reflection of the game.
“I’m sure they are as frustrated as I am with the decisions that are going against us.”
