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Hakan Hayrettin slammed referee Ross Martin after Regan Booty’s double-red card in Maidstone’s defeat at Hungerford.
Stones boss Hayrettin described Martin’s performance as an “absolute disgrace” following the 3-2 loss which extended their winless run in National South to four matches.
Hayrettin already had doubts over the Crusaders’ opener, which appeared to go straight through a broken net - the sort of thing you see in a park where no one’s sure if it’s gone in.
But he couldn’t believe what he was watching as the hosts were awarded their second goal in bizarre circumstances.
Booty was initially sent off for handball on the line - a case of the ball hitting his knee and then his hand - and Hungerford awarded a penalty, only for Martin to change his mind.
After consulting his linesman, he ruled the ball was already over the line - giving a goal that never was - and told Booty he could stay on the pitch.
Maidstone, having fought back to level the match, then had Booty sent off for real, this time for a standard ball-winning challenge.
It was all too much for Hayrettin, whose side conceded an injury-time winner.
“The referee wants to be a star - he’s become a star today,” said the Stones boss.
“It was an awful, awful, awful awful decision by the referee to send Booty off and an awful decision to give a goal.
“He was an absolute disgrace.
“Listen, they beat us, you accept it with dignity, they scored three goals, we scored twice, but he’s given them a goal and he’s sent off a man for winning the ball - absolutely bizarre.
“Yes, we lost, but what are these people doing?
“It’s hit his knee and then his hand, he hasn’t pushed his hand out to save it, it’s hit his knee then it’s hit his hand and it hasn’t gone in. That’s the first thing.
“He gives him a red card to say it was deliberate handball, which it was nowhere near, then the linesman in his wisdom says it’s over the line when it’s clearly not.
“It’s absolutely embarrassing. If he’s going to send him off, send him off and then it’s a penalty.
“If he doesn’t send him off, how can you say it’s a goal? Even if we’re down to 10, he’s still got to score the penalty, but he’s just given them a goal.
“And then they send off a player for winning the ball.
“What else can we do with these people?
“Let them fine me. Terrible. Absolutely disgraceful. I don’t know what else I can say. He’s changed the outcome of the game by his decision-making.
“This is our livelihood, this is our job. We depend on them.
“If they haven’t got proper tutors and proper assessors and they’re not good enough, get them out the way and get someone else in.”
While the referee’s decisions were costly, Hayrettin criticised the defending for the goals as Maidstone dropped to seventh in the table.
They struggled to cope at times with a direct home side who slung everything in the box, missing that dominant Joe Ellul-type figure at the back.
“I can talk about the defending,” said Hayrettin.
“I can talk about Ryan Seager turning and shooting for the first goal, I think it was Sam Corne, he can’t let him do that.
“I can talk about Taylor Curran losing his man and marking wrong side that led to the incident for the second goal.
“And I can talk about Raphe Brown not stopping the cross before it comes into the six-yard box for the third goal.
“Take nothing away from Hungerford, they’re good at what they do, but we do our job vigorously, we watch teams, we spend time on the opposition, we knew what they were going to do.
“We knew where the game was going to be won and lost - we told the players, but we didn’t deal with it.
“They’ve even narrowed the pitch, they’ve taken it in, to play to their advantage with the long throw.”
