I TOLD the team I was proud of the way they played.

It was a local derby against a big, physical side and yet they played some very good football in patches.

Adam Mahdi, who now goes back to Bristol Rovers after his month-long loan spell, scored a great goal into the top corner after just five minutes and he was very good.

At 1-0 we were comfortable and we should have been two or three up in the first half after playing some good stuff.

But one incident changed the game. The female referee completely missed a blatant elbow on Andy Minturn in the build-up to their equaliser.

It wasn’t just a foul, it was a red-card offence.

Of course, Oggy and I were so incensed that we ended up being sent off.

I have moaned about the refereeing at this level before but that ref was appaling and should, in my opinion, not have been officiating in a local derby.

There were some shocking decisions against both sides and her linesmen did not help, either.

She also gave a free kick which resulted in their second goal early in the second half and it was never a foul.

From that point, we battered them, even after Julian Alsop was sent off with about 20 minutes to go.

Jools should have scored, Steve Robertson nearly scored with his first kick after coming on a sub and there headers off the line.

Even after Jools went off, we were on top.

It was a decent game between two teams of contrasting styles and Cinderford did defend very well but that one first-half incident changed the game.