Yeovil Town Mark Cooper offered no apologies after his side scrapped to a vital 1-0 win over FC Halifax Town to lift them further away from the National League relegation zone.
A penalty from Matt Worthington late in the first half was the difference for the Glovers who played the final 15 minutes with ten men after the midfielder was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Cooper was critical of the decision by referee Aaron Jackson who was jeered off the pitch by the Huish Park ground at the final whistle.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, Cooper said: “We have to understand the predicament we are in and at the minute it is about doing what is needed to get results, we are not in a place where we can play like Barcelona just yet.
“We have to be pragmatic and have to fight and scrap to get points and our performance with the ball today was not great, but we were defensively outstanding again.
“We got the goal and we defended with ten men for 25 minutes and we were outstanding, it’s a big three points. We will forget about the performance and remember the three points.”
He revealed the corner routine which led to defender Owen Bevan being wrestled to the ground after 43 minutes to win the penalty had been worked on by his assistant manager Chris Todd in training the day before.
That came against the run of play with the visitors having dominated the first half in conditions which got steadily worse as the game progressed.
Cooper said: “You can see when we are trying to pass the ball a bit, the fans want us to get it forwards but there’s a gale force wind behind it and if we kick it, it goes straight out of play or through to their goalie.
“That bit is going to take time and it’s probably not something that can be done during a season.
“We should have got the goalkeeper to kick everything and get us up the pitch, but the boys want to have a bit of the ball every now and then because we don’t seem to get much of it.”
Worthington, who had been booked for a foul a minute in to the second half, saw red when he went down inside the box under a challenge from Halifax midfielder Luke Summerfield.
That led to the official being the target of the ire of both benches with Cooper getting a yellow card for his protestations.
Cooper said: “I thought the referee made decisions which didn’t have to be made for both teams and I think both technical areas became very frustrated.
“The lad has a kick at Worthy’s ankle and he goes over. It was never a booking, I just don’t understand why he has to take that decision.
“If he hadn’t given that yellow, no-one in the stadium would have complained, (Halifax) included, but he’s put himself in a difficult decision because we are going to have to appeal for everything after that.
“I got booked for asking for a free kick and it all becomes a bit of a mess and there was no need for it.”
Worthington will now miss next weekend’s trip to Bromley with the Glovers unable to appeal two bookings.
Cooper added: “If the referee looks at it and admits he made a mistake, there’s a way it can happen – but that will never happen.
“So we have to take it on the chin and that gives someone else an opportunity.”
The win puts five points between the Glovers and the division’s relegation zone and means they have lost just once under the new manager.
He concluded: “We had wind and torrential rain blowing in our face against a team that is in form and we have got a man down, so you knew what was coming.
“But I fancied us to see it out because as a group they have a bit of devilment about them and character to keep the ball out of the net.”
? The boss' view on a victory at Huish Park. #YTFC ? pic.twitter.com/COXvcoQbe6
— Yeovil Town F.C. (@YTFC) November 26, 2022