ALAN Tinsley, who resigned as manager of Lancaster City this week, blamed referees as a major reason for his shock resignation.

Tinsley has made a number of complaints to the FA and had a half-time dressing down by a referee at Gateshead earlier in the season.

He said: "The officials' decisions were just getting out of hand and I'm bitter about it.

"They hear things on the grapevine and on Saturday the referee, Leo Higgins, was from Blyth so it's a fair bet that he had heard about my reputation for complaining after we had an incident at Gateshead. After we were robbed of a penalty on Saturday I just told the club 'that's enough.' It's for my own mental state as much as anything.

"I could have them in for training five nights a week but if the referee decides to make decisions like he did on Saturday we can't win. I played football and I've managed for 20 years, none of the referees I know have. I just think my reputation is doing the club damage."

City had a good penalty shout, when Jay Flannery looked to felled in the penalty area in the first half, turned down on Saturday. They were also denied a free kick when Jez Baldwin looked to have been badly fouled in the second.

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