Speaking after seeing his side defeated by Cheltenham Town in their second of three Papa John's Trophy group games, Walsall boss Michael Flynn has admitted to being frustrated with the standard of officiating.
Flynn, who has been unable to guide his team to victory in their last ten all-competition outings, believes his side should have been awarded several penalties as referee Tom Reeves opted to allow play to continue on each occasion.
Goals from on-loan Southampton prospect Dan N'Lundulu and south-west stalwart Liam Sercombe saw the home side go into the break in the lead before second-half substitute Danny Johnson halved the deficit shortly before full-time.
Despite their defeat, Flynn believes there are some positives to be taken from the game, with the Newport-born gaffer believing his players' hard work will eventually pay off.
Speaking to the assembled media, including the Express & Star, Flynn said; "We're probably out of two cups now because of refereeing decisions.
"It was an exciting game. I was disappointed to go in two-nil down at half-time. We could have folded, but that's not what teams of mine do.
"They keep going, keep working for each other. When things aren't going your way, the only way you get out of it is by working harder and harder.
"I was very pleased with what I saw. We've got to dust ourselves down, keep believing and make sure we stay positive."
Going on to talk about the various penalty shouts, Flynn admitted he has never seen so many big calls go unanswered, he added; "We could've had four penalties, by the way.
"Peter Clarke had his shirt ripped off in the box. Jack Earing has been bowled over twice. I've never been involved in so many stonewall penalty incidents and not got one."