Shrewsbury Town boss Paul Simpson was left frustrated after witnessing five of his players harshly booked during their draw at Darlington.

Graham Coughlan, Ben Herd, Grant Holt, Michael Jackson and Sean Thornton were all cautioned by referee Chris Sarginson, who stepped in at the last minute when the appointed official, Jon Moss, fell ill on Friday night.

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Read our Shrews blogger’s thoughts here “I thought the referee today was poor for both sides,” bemoaned Simpson.

“He’s a guy who has been drafted in at the last minute, so he shouldn’t have even been there and it looked to me that he wasn’t prepared for a game unfortunately.

“Grant Holt actually pulled out of the challenge and the lad has dived, so he’s got booked for that and that’s his fifth now.

“Sean Thornton has got done for his first tackle of the game. He gets booked whereas their striker has made six fouls.”

Holt’s fifth caution of the season means that the striker will miss Saturday’s match at home to Port Vale through suspension.

It was the second time this season that Holt has fallen foul of Football League newcomer Sarginson having also been carded by the Staffordshire official during Shrewsbury’s win over Gillingham in mid-September.

Remarkably, Holt’s yellow card count has now eclipsed the four he picked up during 39 first team appearances for Nottingham Forest and Blackpool last season.

Simpson was, however, rather more pleased with his team’s resilience in a niggly clash in the North East.

He added: “The game never really got going. I thought we were better in the second half, we were a bit more composed and we passed the ball better – this isn’t an easy place to come.

“It was a wonder strike by Sean Thornton to get us back in the game. We said at half time – not me, John McMahon – that the keeper was off his line all the time so make sure when we got opportunities to go and let one fly.

“Sean did that, showed the quality that he has got and it was a wonderful strike to clinch a point.”

By Sean Wozencroft