Seething Shrewsbury Town boss Graham Turner today slammed referee Brendan Malone for “bottling” the key decision in their deflating defeat at Swindon.

Town were beaten 2-1 in their crucial promotion clash at the County Ground last night, but that told only half the story with Shrewsbury livid at the failure of Wiltshire-based Malone to award them a second half penalty.

The visitors were a Matt Richards goal to the good by the time Terry Gornell burst clean through on 52 minutes and was tripped by Swindon’s last man Alan McCormack.

• See more pictures from Town’s defeat to Swindon

A red card would almost certainly have been a by-product of a penalty, but Malone controversially waved ply on.

That drew a furious response from the normally level-headed Turner who was prevented from venting his anger at Malone on the pitch at the full-time whistle by stewards.

“I’ve been very reluctant to criticise referees over a long career because it’s a difficult job,” protested Turner.

“But you can’t help but criticise this one.

“I don’t know where he has come from, I’ve not come across him before and I hope I don’t come across him again.

“Even the defender said he was ready to walk.

“Everybody in the ground knew it was a penalty and a sending off.

“It was probably the only decision he really had to make and ‘bottled it’ is the right phrase.

“I can’t for the life of me think how he could not give a penalty, a sending off, there is a chance we are 2-0 up and they are down to 10 men.

“It was a big lift for them to get away with something like that and it had a little bit of a downer on us.”

Turner vowed to lift his players – but admitted it wouldn’t be easy.

“There is a dressing room there that is absolutely devastated,” he added.

“We have talked about getting over it ready for training on Thursday but it takes some getting over when you have worked as hard as we have and you come away with nothing.

“But for the vast majority of the game, we had a good shape, passed the ball well and I thought we looked the better side for long periods – by miles.”

Town were today assessing the groin injury to left back Joe Jacobson which forced him off shortly after the hour mark.