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Manager Andy Hessenthaler has told his Dover Athletic players they should be hurting after their FA Cup 1-1 draw with Yate on Saturday.
Whites remain in the competition after the fourth qualifying round encounter but once again failed to register their first win of the season.
They went behind with eight minutes played when Yate frontman Olly Mehew netted before substitute Ricky Miller found a leveller at Crabble after the restart.
But Whites player-coach Reda Johnson was sent off late on, although Hessenthaler’s side held on as Yate pushed for a winner and the two teams will meet again at Lodge Park in the replay on Tuesday night.
“I’m disappointed with us,” Hessenthaler said.
“We started the game well and should have been 2-0 up before they even had a chance to score - and did! It was a poor goal.
“We huffed and puffed, and got in a few times. They got in a few times. Overall, I’m disappointed.
“I’ve told the players that as well. I went a little bit mad.
“We should be hurting after that. They have done a job on us.”
Substitute Johnson was given a red card by referee Aji Ajibola nine minutes from time, having already been cautioned, after the 33-year-old allegedly elbowed a Yate man to earn a second booking.
Hessenthaler fumed: “The ref has got it wrong for me.
“I don’t like talking about referees because we weren’t good. But how is that a sending off?
“He has been conned. It's as simple as that. They are the sort of things going against us.
“But we have just got to go there and win the game (the replay). We have to go and win that game.
“If we are not hurting, we have got a problem as a group."
“Their fella has sort of put his face into it (Johnson’s elbow) and gone down," the Whites boss said on the incident which led to Johnson being given his marching orders. "There was nothing wrong with him!
“The first yellow was not a yellow. It just drives me insane that they can make these decisions.
“Ricky Miller was getting all sorts of abuse but not getting free-kicks. So the inconsistency of referees drives me mad.
“But listen, we need to talk about our own team and we have got to do better. We have to find some confidence.
“We should have gone on and won the game after we scored and got back into the game, but we didn’t.”
Midfielder Yannis Drais also came off at the end of the first half after a collision with Yate defender Will Tunnicliff.
Asked for an update on the Frenchman's condition, Hessenthaler confirmed: "He went to hospital.
"Maybe, he has broken his ribs but we are not 100 per cent sure, to be fair.
"We will wait and see."
The draw for the FA Cup first round will be made today (Sunday) at around 1pm, with Dover and Yate ball number 78.
