Deal Town boss Steve King bemoans defender Alfie Foster’s controversial early red in 5-3 Isthmian South East defeat at Eastbourne Town

Deal manager Steve King bemoaned the early red card his side received in last weekend’s defeat at Eastbourne Town, conceding it was a game-changing decision.

King’s mid-table Hoops went down to a 5-3 Isthmian South East loss on an eventful afternoon at The Saffrons ground.

They trailed and were reduced to 10 men inside five minutes when referee George Lynch controversially ruled Deal defender Alfie Foster had denied a goalscoring opportunity in the penalty box, with the hosts converting the spot-kick.

King, who confirmed the Hoops have appealed against Foster’s impending ban, said: “I try very hard not to criticise officials because they have a difficult job.

“As managers and players, there’s loads we can control - other than officials’ decisions.

“But when a referee gives a penalty and a red card so early in the game, it makes it really difficult. It was a poor decision.

“I was disappointed with some of the goals we conceded, but the players played exceptionally well with 10 men. It’s such a game-changer.

“It doesn’t make it impossible to win, but it becomes so hard. What would have happened if it was 11-versus-11, I don’t know.

“The referee said he’s sent Alfie off for handball. There’s no handball because we’ve looked back at the footage.

“We’ve appealed against the decision - but that doesn’t change Saturday.”

King was also disappointed with some of the other goals Deal conceded in extreme weather conditions at Eastbourne, but was pleased at how his troops still made a game of it.

He said: “There’s aspects of the game I’m disappointed about. For a couple of the goals, we could have done much better.

“But I felt the players kept going in tough conditions. We may have lost the game 11-versus-11 - but the red card is