Stevenage manager Steve Evans is ready for another phone call and another apology from the referee top brass after a penalty decision given to Newport County.

Boro were 2-1 up with four minutes to go courtesy of goals from Luke Norris and Jordan Roberts when Michael Bostwick's first touch sent him into a challenge with Omar Bogle.

It looked for all the world like the veteran had won the ball back but the referee ruled otherwise.

Bogle duly scored to leave the game tied at 2-2.

For Evans though, this was just another in a catalogue of decisions that have gone against them in recent weeks, some of which have already had chiefs of the officials on the phone.

The Boro boss though has had enough of that.

He said: "The incident is quite alarming really. For the referee to deduce that Michael Bostwick’s challenge on Omar [is a penalty] is just a disgraceful decision. 

 

"I’ll ask him and he’ll give his reasons but like Saturday, after Bradford when I got apologies and humble letters and emails, they don’t matter to me anymore. 

"I’ll put them as wallpaper in my garage and I’ve got a big garage. 

"We had a phone call yesterday saying perhaps we’ve promoted one of them too quickly. 

"It’s the same as players, you cannot put them to levels where they cannot play. 

"If you cannot get decisions right in League Two, what chance do you have of getting decisions right in group two and the Championship?

"It’s more difficult because the game is quicker. There’s more technique, there’s more strength, there’s more everything. It’s all about levels. 

"There’s no other team in the whole of the EFL who are getting the decisions against them like we are.

"I’m fed up talking about them. I don’t want their apologies, I want these guys to do their job or get rid of them.

"But we have to endure and we have to accept the apologies because they come from people with really good integrity.

"But you cannot give decisions like that unless you are sure and if he is sure about that, well, it’s such a bad decision. It’s incredible. 

"[Bostwick] wins the ball, he clears his line and that happens every week in every box. 

"We got the feeling about the referee tonight, we told all our defenders to stay on their feet, and that was just a gut feeling. 

"That feeling was proven to be correct."

Evans also revealed his thoughts on the decision had been backed up by County boss Graham Coughlan who "said to me straight away it’s just not a penalty".

The game itself had started superbly for Boro, Norris scoring in the third minute after a lovely ball by Kane Smith but from there Newport dominated the remainder of the half and deservedly drew level just before half-time through Bogle.

Four changes at the break had an instant impact with Roberts scoring five minutes in and with a much improved balance and shape, Boro looked like they had everything under control until the penalty decision.

Evans said: "Newport were better than us in the first half. We got in front and then we gift them a goal.

"We started the second half bright, we got the goal, and we were seeing the game out rather comfortably. They’ve not [tested] Adam Przybek. They never made a chance before it and they never made a chance after it.

"We had to make the four changes. Josh March looked off it, we were told by the referee that one more challenge by Luke Norris and he was getting a [second] yellow, and we wanted to bring Michael to the back and get Forster-Caskey onto the pitch. 

"He is an outstanding player for the level but we were worried about Jake having played a long time on Saturday and at that intensity. 

"He controlled a lot of what we did in the second half and I’m so proud of the boys, I thought they were brilliant."

And aside from the substitutions, Evans also turned the hair-dryer on his squad.

The boss said: "We had to get into them at half-time and remind them of their responsibility, remind them of what they were playing for. 

"We have got some big characters in that room and I questioned their integrity, I questioned their desire, their passion and their commitment. 

"Everything about them, I questioned, but they responded in the second half. 

"We found a way to grow into the game."