Knight fuming at ‘costly’ decisions

Buoyed by a unbeaten run stretching back to November, the hosts were good value for their half-time lead courtesy of emphatic finishes from Martin Crawford and Myron Semper.

And, despite a much-improved showing from Saints after the break, the visitors needed the intervention of an assistant referee to kick-start their comeback.

The lively Brad Rees had showed good persistence to shake off a couple of challenges. However, there seemed little wrong with the tackle from Leon Blake which eventually robbed him of the ball.

The assistant referee saw it differently, however, and flagged for an infringement, with Southam scoring from the resultant free-kick.

And a later penalty awarded for a push on Saints substitute Oli Manoochehri did little to lighten Knight’s mood.

“It’s not good enough,” said Knight, who was shown a red card in the aftermath of Southam’s opener.

“Instead of everyone in the bar talking about a good game played in a good spirit, they’re talking about the referee and linesman.

“We thought we’d beat Southam but we’ve been let down by the officials and it’s happening week after week.

“Two bad decisions have cost us the game.”

Jack Taylor converted from the spot to bring it back to 2-2, with Charlie Neale’s 92nd-minute winner completing a remarkable turnaround for a Saints side who now lie just a point off top spot in the Midland Combination Premier.