Chris Strain admitted he was congratulating Irvine Meadow “through gritted teeth” after Kilwinning Rangers were sent tumbling out of the South Challenge Cup.
The Buffs boss picked the bones of a 5-3 reverse on Saturday as his team were unable to take advantage of a Medda side reduced to 10 men after the interval.
Strain had some sympathy for the referee and his assistants who had their hands full during a dramatic afternoon at Meadow Park – with Medda's Sean McIlroy red-carded and a plethora of bookings dished out.
However, he felt his players were on the wrong end of some rough challenges as he counted the cost of a disappointing away day.
“We’ve conceded too many cheap goals which has given us mountains to climb,” he said. “We haven’t defended well enough.
“There was a lot of incident in the game – a red card and a few naughty tackles – but you expect that in a derby. Meadow have come out on top and I congratulate them through gritted teeth.
“I felt it was a difficult game for the referee. It was frenetic, there were a lot of tackles. It was a clear handball there [for Medda’s opening goal] and there was another handball which he says he can’t see in their box.
“He gives two penalties and he gives a red card to a player who should have been sent-off long before he was sent-off. The treatment dished out to Gavin [Millar] was shocking – six different players booked for challenges on him.
“And Ben Lewis is lying there with an injury for a tackle which is wild, high and scissors-like. I think if the referee sat down and analysed his performance he would handle the game differently but it is difficult for him as well.”
“I thought we deserved more from the game but we have to just suffer, take the blows as they come and move on.”
Strain doesn’t have his problems to seek with most of a team sidelined in the treatment room ahead of tomorrow night’s West of Scotland League Premier Division visit of Kilbirnie Ladeside.
But he has been boosted by the return of forward Carlo Monti who looked on the way out of the club last month. He is back in training and likely to feature in the Blasties clash.
Strain added: “The worry for us just now is the numbers we have out injured. We’re struggling but we have to dust ourselves down and not feel sorry for ourselves.
“I’d rather not have a game for a month to let everyone recover from injury but it is what it is.”
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