Scunthorpe boss Alan Knill blamed referee Brendan Malone after his side opened the League One campaign with a 3-0 defeat at Crawley.
Experienced striker Gary Alexander put newly-promoted Crawley on their way in their first-ever match in the third tier with two goals, before substitute Jonathan Forte, on loan from Southampton, sealed a comfortable victory 10 minutes from time. Knill, who felt that Crawley's second and third goals should not have stood said: "It was never a 3-0 game. Crawley's second goal was never a penalty and everyone stopped in the build-up for the third when a blatant foul was made, but the referee didn't see it. "The referee's performance was not too good at crucial moments and was a shocker. The second goal killed the game, but it was not a penalty. If you don't have the rub of the green it becomes difficult. "At crucial times decisions went against us. We had created good chances, but you have to take them and our finishing let us down. It was disappointing that we had opportunities and, in that regard, the scoreline did not really reflect what happened in the game." Scunthorpe finished with 10 men after midfielder Mark Duffy, booked earlier for kicking the ball away, was dismissed for committing a foul and Knill added: "It was a poor sending off and it puts us under a bit of pressure now to lose a player."Knill blasts 'poor' referee