Darren Blackburn refused to blame the referee for Sittingbourne’s 3-2 Isthmian South East defeat by Whyteleafe.

A key moment at Woodstock saw Ryan Gondoh awarded a controversial penalty as Leafe went 2-1 up.

Footage suggested it shouldn’t have been given, with Gondoh going to ground easily over keeper Jordan Perrin.

Blackburn spoke to the referee after the game but took the decision with good grace.

“The referee felt that, although there was no contact, our keeper had impeded the player,” said manager Blackburn.

“If you look at the video it clearly shows Gondoh has touched the ball well wide and he’s jumped over the keeper without getting anywhere near him and gone to ground.

“It’s one of those where if he’d got a yellow card for diving then I don’t think he’d have had any arguments.

“It’s frustrating but the referees do a good job and they can’t get everything right.

“I spoke to him after the game and he was a really nice guy.

“If anything, it’s poor on behalf of a good player, their best player on the day, you can’t blame the referee for that.

“He’s an experienced player who knew what he was doing but, even then, I don’t like to use the term diving.

“He’s not a cheat, he’s a cracking player, but he’s seen an opportunity to go to ground and he’s taken it.

“I’m never the type to berate officials because they have a tough job and there’s a shortage of them as there is.

“You just hope these decisions even themselves out although they don’t seem to have done in the 18 months I’ve been here.

“We still had 11 players out there who could have changed the result.

"It’s a tough one to take - a draw would have been a fair result - but we move on.”

Johan Caney-Bryan fired Sittingbourne ahead in the first minute but soon went off injured.

Whyteleafe levelled through on Oman Hibbert on 53 minutes followed by Gondoh’s penalty four minutes later.

Hibbert added their third on 68 minutes, with Kane Rowland replying 15 minutes from time.

Sittingbourne travel to Hythe tonight.

Read more: The latest sports news in Kent