Vale Juniors boss Brian Brown was deflated by referee Louis McIntosh, as his side fell to defeat against high-flying Neilston.
Ross Gallacher’s disputed second-half red card came with the Alexandria side pushing hard for an equaliser, but from the resulting free-kick Darren Jones increased the advantage - with quickfire strikes from Darren Kennedy and Dylan Fletcher putting the game beyond the Vale.
And manager Brown was again left frustrated by decisions going against his side.
He said: “The red card decision changes the game.
“That’s not taking anything away from Neilston. They have some electric pace going forward and they are at the top end of the league for a reason. I’ve no real complaints about the result from that point of view.
“But at 2-1 we were coming right into the game. And then there’s the sending off.
“I think the referee is the only guy in the Millburn who thought it was a red card. I didn’t even think it was a booking.
“I’m really, really unhappy with the referee.
“Every week it feels like big decisions are going against us. It’s really sore. There was the penalty at Hurlford, the red card against Ashfield and now that. That’s the last three weeks.
“It’s really tough on the boys because they’ve worked so hard. And it leaves us another man light next week - so we could be down 10 players for the Kilsyth game.”
Without a host of regular starters, Vale were dealt another blow when Martin Connolly pulled up in the warm-up.
They then fell behind after just 12 minutes to Conor Bolger’s strike, only to reply immediately through Daniel Paterson.
Olly Smith had the visitors ahead at half-time, before Gallacher’s sending off ended any hopes of another Vale comeback.
This weekend sees the Alexandria side travel to Kilsyth Rangers with injuries and suspensions continuing to blight their season.
However manager Brown knows that his last line of defence remains sturdy, with goalkeeper Reece Pollock named Challenge Cup player of the round for his showing against Hurlford.
Brain added: “Reece has done exceptionally well since he’s came back into the team. He wasn’t in a good place at the start of the season, but it’s great to see how he’s bounced back.
“A lot of credit has to go to Nathan (Wylie) too. He’s pushing him exceptionally hard. I’ve got two very good goalkeepers to choose from.”
