Barnet assistant manager Connor Smith says Joe Kizzi’s “laughable” sending-off had a big part to play after the Bees narrowly lost 1-0 to Grimsby Town.
Kizzi was given his marching orders in the 11th minute of the League Two clash at Blundell Park. Referee Jamie O’Connor brandished the red after a lengthy chat with the fourth official, whom Smith slammed for a case of mistaken identity after Grimsby’s Evan Khouri went down.
Bees manager Dean Brennan was then sent to the stands for his reaction, compounding the visitors' early troubles.
“It’s just ridiculous. It’s laughable, honestly – it’s that bad. Kizzi drags him down, and Idris [Kanu] jogs past him. There’s nothing really in either incident, and neither of them are a red card,” Smith told Barnet TV post-match.
“It’s that bad from the fourth [official]. He’s saying he’s seen it, and he gives the red card to the wrong person. I think their [Grimsby’s] bench reaction bullies the referee into giving it. It’s the wrong decision. The fourth is the one who’s decided to give the red card, and he’s told the ref [to give it].
“It’s such bad officiating. It’s really shocking, and they’ve ruined a potentially really good game of football for no reason whatsoever other than the bench’s reaction.
“You can tell he didn’t see the incident because he sent the wrong player off.”
Despite having to trawl through 80 minutes at a numerical disadvantage, the Bees gave an excellent account of their defensive capabilities and might have taken something from the game were it not for Grimsby’s Jayden Sweeney’s 71st-minute winner.
“I thought the performance – especially when you’ve got 10 men for that long – was outstanding. I thought they scored a goal out of nothing that ricocheted through bodies, and we had the chances in the second half,” said Smith.
“You could feel the nervousness around the ground. I thought we created that. The work rate of the lads was unbelievable. The ones that started, the ones that came on – everyone was so good.
“I’m so proud of that in terms of never giving in and competing for that long. I thought we definitely should have got something out of the game.”
The sending-off clearly shifted the way Barnet planned to set up for this fixture, leaving gaps in the midfield for Grimsby to exploit as the Bees withstood waves of attacks from the hosts.
Clearly irked by Kizzi's dismissal, Smith said: “I think it’s always tough when it happens that early in the half because we really need to get the lads in and go through some tactical bits with them because so much then changes from the original game plan.
“I thought they managed it brilliantly. I thought, in the second half, it was a really even game, and you would never have thought for most of it that there was an extra man. The goal comes out of nothing. We should deal better with the initial ball better, but in terms of the work rate and the application of the lads, they never gave up.
“I’m so proud of the performance. I’m so proud of every one of them.”
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