In the eyes of coach Kevin Sinclair, Kempsey Saints produced their best ever Premier League performance on Saturday but instead of celebrating, they were left heartbroken after a "poor refereeing decision" allowed Wallis Lake to tie the score with the final kick of the game.
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Kurtis Smith gave Saints a 1-0 lead after cleverly putting the ball passed the Wallis goalkeeper at the midway point of the first half.
Saints held the advantage until the final six minutes, when Wallis levelled the scores after a scramble in Kempsey's 18-yard-box.
From the resulting kick off, Saints pressed forward and a through ball was delivered to Smith, who latched onto the ball and fired it passed the keeper for the second time to reestablish Saints' advantage.
In the final minutes, Wallis pressed for another equaliser while Sinclair looked at his watch wondering why the game was still continuing.
"There was an extra five minutes played after the 90th minute passed and I have no idea why," Sinclair said.
"Then they received a free kick deep in our half and from the kick, the ball hit Sam Mahoney on the chest but the referee pointed to the spot because he believed it was a deliberate hand ball.
"It was impossible to be a hand ball though, as Sam's hands were behind his back."
Sinclair watched on in disbelief as Wallis converted from the penalty spot to level the scores right before the final whistle sounded.
"The end of the game was absolutely diabolical for us," Sinclair told the Argus.
"We had produced our best football of the season and probably ever. We were outstanding across the park and commitment was perfect."
Sinclair was devastated his players had to deal with such a heartbreaking end.
"When you travel to Forster, prepare for a tough game and put together such a great performance, have a win on the end of your finger tips for it to then be taken away by a poor decision - it was heartbreaking," Sinclair said.
While Sinclair was upset with the end result, he had nothing but praise for his players.
"Everyone was terrific but in particular, Kurtis was outstanding, Sam's work rate was second to none and Griffin Ryan had a mature performance from a youngster at the back and didn't back off from any of the physical contest," Sinclair said.
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