BILLERICAY Town were dumped out of the FA Trophy on Saturday but have the right to feel a touch aggrieved at the outcome.
With the game goalless referee Charles Breakspear awarded the U's a controversial penalty six minutes before half-time and that gave the team from a higher division the impetus to push on and seal a comfortable victory.
It appeared as though the man in the middle was going to award the Blues a free-kick after a clash between goalkeeper, Luke Bartlett, and U's striker Michael Gash. Instead he awarded a spot kick for a foul by captain Rob Swaine who was given a yellow card even though he appeared to win the ball.
Gash accepted the invitation in the 40th minute and smashed the resultant penalty down the middle, a goal that was largely against the run of play but nonetheless put the Blue Square Bet Premier side into the lead.
"I thought it was a shocking decision," said manager Craig Edwards who didn't feel the game should have gone ahead at all.
"It was clearly a foul on the keeper.
"If he's given the penalty then he's surely got to send the boy (Swaine) off. He's two yards out and if he's fouled him the boy's going to score without a doubt.
"It was just a catalogue of errors but he's missed the first one which was the foul on the keeper."
The game was played in terrible conditions at New Lodge with the pitch very boggy in places and the mist sweeping through the ground.
In this first period both Jay May and Glenn Poole both had half chances to nick the lead for the hosts while United threatened through Tom Shaw and Andy Pugh.
"We were the better team at the start," reasoned Edwards.
"Because of the conditions the scorer of the first goal was always going to have an advantage."
The game was all but sewn up at the start of the second half when Pugh made it 2-0 with a low finish after the ball became stuck in the mud.
Billericay tried desperately to reduce the arrears; Junior Luke, Chris Wild and substitute Nathan Green all had decent efforts on goal.
But the tie was killed off in the 88th minute when U's substitute Tom Elliot scored from a low centre.
There was still time for Wild to have a header cleared off the line but it wasn't to be Town's day.
"The pitch is knackered," said Edwards.
"The ball was sticking everywhere. It was a shame because it was a big game for us and it was ruined by the pitch. The football played by both sides was minimal and I don't think it was a very good spectacle as such."
