FURIOUS Peter Nicholas branded referee Kevin Friend "embarrassingly poor" after the official effectively ruined Newport County chances of progressing to the FA Trophy's fourth round for the first time.

It is a tragedy that after a thrilling, end-to-end cup tie which produced five goals and was a cracking advert for non-league football that all the after-match talk was about bad officialdom.

But Leicester-based Friend made wrong decisions. He handed Worcester City a penalty at a crucial stage of this entertaining third round clash - but Adam Webster, with Steve Benton in attention, went to ground far too easy and, more to the point, without any contact. And by the letter of the law Benton should have been sent off because he was the last man.

Then came the judgement that infuriated County's players and management as influential skipper Matt Rose was given a straight red card after a seemingly innocuous tangle with Darren Middleton just after the hour.

The decisions changed the course of the game. Middleton subsequently scored from the spot and Worcester added a third just minutes after Rose was sent off.

Nicholas said afterwards: "Worcester's manager John Barton came in after the game and said the best side lost tonight.

"They went 3-0 up but they were never 3-0 better than us. We had them on the hop for the last ten minutes. But I have to say the referee was embarrassingly poor."

Rose vowed to take his case to the FA Trophy's video review panel in a bid to clear his name.

He fumed: "The ref said he sent me off for stamping, simple as that. I may have caught him with my standing leg but there was no intent whatsoever."

Apart from the farcical refereeing there was a superb game of football at St George's Lane last night.

City struck first as Webster capitalised on a poor defensive header by Benton to lash home after 26 minutes

Middleton then fired home his 14th goal of the season from the penalty spot before Walker sold Billy Clark short with a bad pass which allowed Webster to nip in and chip Newport keeper Pat Mountain.

Walker partially made-up for his earlier mishap with a 25-yard thunderbolt and Plant was composure personified three minutes later as he slotted home County's second.

Worcester City (4-4-2): D McDonnell; A Davies, C Heeley, M Blount, P Carty, P Lyons, J Holloway, D Middleton (D Jones, 85), A Wilde (R Tomkins, 77) ; A Webster, D Holmes Subs Not Used: D Willetts, L McDonald, P Wyatt Booked: D Middleton 36 (dissent), P Lyons 36 (foul), C Heeley 45 (foul), P Carty 86 (foul)

Newport County AFC (4-5-1) P Mountain; C Collins, B Clark, A Thomas, S Benton (R French, 58); R Plant, R Ashington, M Rose (c), M Fowler, S Walker; G Shephard. Subs Not Used: J Perry, A Stevenson, G Jones, T Hart Booked: R Plant 35 (foul), S Benton 46 (foul) Sent off: M Rose 63 (violent conduct)

Attendance: 1,128 Referee: Mr K Friend (Leicester)