Pete Wild blasts refs as Barrow ‘dominate’ in Grimsby defeat
BARROW boss Pete Wild admitted Tuesday night’s defeat at Grimsby Town was the most frustrating of his tenure at the club.
The Bluebirds were much the better side at Blundell Park, but they failed to capitalise on numerous chances in front of goal.
Paul Farman produced a great penalty save to keep out Abo Eisa’s first-half spot-kick.
But goals from Danny Rose and substitute Donovan Wilson fired the hosts to a first victory in over a month as they ended their three-game losing streak.
Sam Foley grabbed a late consolation, but it was too little too late for Wild’s charges.
Even Mariners’ boss Paul Hurst was left bewildered by the result and said: “That’s the worst we’ve played for a long time”.
And Wild urged his side to be more ruthless in front of goal after a number of guilt-edge chances went begging.
He reflected: “That’s the most frustrated I’ve been in 18 months since I joined the football club.
“Some of the football we’ve played and how far we’ve come in terms of dominating games away from home is really pleasing.
“Unfortunately both boxes have let us down. We’ve had one clearance all night and we don’t clear it.
“We’ve completely dominated the football match, it’s the most dominant a match I’ve had my whole career.
“The problem is we haven’t been ruthless enough to put the ball in the back of the net and that’s why I’m so deeply frustrated with the game.
“I’n not being disrespectful to Grimsby, but we dominated them all over the pitch.
“We haven’t got what we’ve deserved out of the game, but that’s football. We haven’t taken our chances.
“The keeper was like Roy of the Rovers pulling them out of everywhere, but we’ve got to take our chances and be ruthless in the opposition box.
“We can’t create those chances and not be ruthless.
“That’s for everybody. I think nearly everybody on the pitch had a chance and it’s everybody’s responsibility to score goals.”
Wild has been outspoken in his criticism of the officiating so far this season.
And he believes the sheer number of wrong decisions is ruining games in League Two.
Wild felt the penalty was outside of the box and Wilson’s goal, which effectively won the game, was “a mile offside”.
He groaned: “I’m discounting the second goal because it’s a mile offside, everybody sat in the ground knows it’s a mile offside.
“I spoke to four impartial people, who I know were sat in the stands, and they said you don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you it’s offside.
“Yet again we’re talking about decisions about referees. They’re just completely inept at the moment, it’s every week. I’m absolutely sick of it.
“They’re ruining football matches with decisions that they should be getting right.
“The penalty’s outside the box. I just don’t know where they get off on some of these things.
“It’s just ludicrous and madness. Paul pulls us out of the proverbial and you think ‘it can’t get any worse than that’ but it did.”
