Larne manager Gary Haveron says Andy Ryan's dismissal "overshadowed" Tuesday's defeat to Linfield as he confirmed the champions have appealed the striker's sending off at Windsor Park.
Ryan was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Kyle McClean at the end of the first half, with Linfield going on to earn a 1-0 win courtesy of Kieran Offord's first goal for the Blues.
The win leaves David Healy's men 20 points clear at the top of the Irish Premiership as they close in on a first league title in three years.
Haveron said: "We feel aggrieved. Some of the big decisions went against us.
"What I can say is that we have appealed the red card. So the appeal has been lodged which is a clear indication of how we feel about the decisions that went against us.
"So because there is an appeal in process, we are limited to what we can say on the matter. It is difficult not to talk about it because it is all that anyone is talking about. It overshadowed the game.
"I felt in the first half we started a little bit edgy, which is understandable. But we built ourselves into the game and limited them to few opportunities.
"We had a chance through Paul O'Neill before half-time, and then the decisions made changed the outcome of the game. Windsor is never easy to go to at the best of times, but it becomes very difficult to cover a pitch that size with a man down.
"But credit to the players for covering the ground they did."
Haveron added: "I also thought it was a clear and obvious foul in the build-up to their goal. I can't say anything more than that. Offord ran in the line of the player trying to get to the ball and obstructed them.
"He stepped across and bumped him. So the big talking points aren't about football, they are other matters.
"But we have to be careful what we say because it is in the hands of the committee."
Haveron said he asked referee Shane Andrews to review Ryan's tackle, claiming the dismissal had a "massive impact" on the game.
He added: "I did ask him when we came out of the tunnel (at half-time) whether he had seen it back. It is one of those ones. I told him to have a look back at it.
"What can you do? There is nothing as a manager you can do. They are out of your control and making such a massive impact on the game.
"There is nothing you can say or do. We will leave it in the hands of those in charge to see where it goes now and what the outcome is."
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