'If you were a neutral you'd have probably closed your curtains on this game' - boss Paul Doswell underwhelmed with 10-man Hawks' showing in FA Trophy defeat at Slough
Hawks boss Paul Doswell assessed his side's FA Trophy exit at National League South rivals Slough Town and conceded: It was a very hard watch.
The defining moment of the second round tie came when Paul Rooney was dismissed for a tug on Martin Kuhl in the area, who dispatched the resulting penalty on the half-hour mark to wrap up a 1-0 win for the home side.
It capped more frustration for Hawks at the hands of Slough after they suffered a 2-1 home league defeat to the same opposition last month.
Coincidentally, Doswell's side also had a player dismissed in that one, with striker Tommy Wright seeing red.
The Hawks boss admitted he was not 'overly happy' with his side's showing - and felt any neutrals watching would have been inclined to 'close their curtains' on what was an underwhelming spectacle.
Doswell said: ‘Disappointed with the result, not overly happy with the performance, but it was a game that I predicted coming up here.
‘I knew with the storm predicted, the wind, it was bitterly cold and if you were a neutral you would probably have closed your curtains on this game. It wasn’t a good game to watch, I don’t think either team showed National League South level in the game but I think weather conditions dictated how a lot of that game was played.
‘It was probably a goal either side that was going to win it. I thought once they got that goal we knew it was going to be tough and that would be how the game would pan out.’
Doswell had no complaints at the awarding of the penalty against his side after Rooney's tug back on Kuhl.
However, he felt the dismissal of the midfielder was slightly harsh as Hawks' FA Trophy participation was ended for another season.
Doswell added: ‘I think Roons (Paul Rooney) had probably lacked concentration. The balls gone under his foot, he was probably relaxed at that point, looking for where his next pass was.
‘It was a clear pull back on the lad, it’s a penalty, unfortunately - if Roons had actually made a scissor-kick tackle he wouldn’t have got sent-off. It’s a bizarre rule.
‘I think, for me, if you’ve been given the penalty against you that should be enough.
‘As I said, that was a big part of the game. We obviously went down to 10-men and they got their goal and the rest of the game was a very hard watch.’