Hereford FC defender said penalty decision was a 'poor one'

The Bulls were probing for a second half equaliser, following Tom Clare’s opener, before referee Benjamin Speedie pointed to the penalty spot for a foul by Gowling on Ryan Qualter.

Brad Abbott netted the 76th minute spot kick to deny Hereford any chance of a late equaliser.

“I thought I clipped the ball away and I didn’t touch him, he just fell over,” Gowling said.

“Did anyone appeal for it? I’m not sure they did. He (Ben Speedie) looked at it for a while and he wasn’t sure and then he gave it.

“It was a poor decision and it was the softest penalty I have ever given away.

Speaking about the striker’s reaction to the challenge, Gowling added: “I understand he is going to do that as he wants to get a penalty and a win for his team and I understand that.

“That’s what the referee is there for to make the right decision and I’m not sure it was today.

Kyle Finn went down shortly afterwards in the opposite penalty area but the referee waved away the Hereford appeals.

“If he gives that then he has to give that, that’s how I see it,” Gowling added.

“I mean I’m not a referee and he’s more qualified than me to make decisions.”

 Hereford striker Rowan Liburd saw efforts go close and striker James Waite was denied by a George Willis save as the Bulls had their own chances.

However, Gowling conceded that the performance was not good enough.  

He said: “This week we wanted to go out with a bang, put in a good performance and get some goals but we came up short.

“I think sometimes at the end of the season you get them games, but we didn’t turn up to perform like that. In our minds we wanted to put a stamp on it and give us some momentum into next season.

“That was our thought process but it was just flat. You get that sometimes where the whole team doesn’t perform and it was one of those days.

“We created some chances in the game and could have been a couple of goals up at half-time and could have had a couple in the second half.

“But performance wise it wasn’t good enough. We weren’t really troubled and their first goal has come from a poor set piece and the second from a penalty and apart from that they haven’t had anything in the game which is frustrating.

“We had a plan which was to put a show on for ourselves and the fans. If you look at where we were before Christmas which was in deep trouble, so to be able to get out of that and be comfortable and to stay in the league next season was good, but we want to keep pushing on and keep striving and we wanted to get into that top half of the league, but we didn’t do that.

“We will get it right and we’ve come on a lot this season and before Christmas we were in the abyss I suppose so we’ve come on a lot but we need to get that more consistency.

“I was at Grimsby for a couple of years and the fans are the same there, they expect results, expect teams to win and this team has gone through a couple of years winning and going through leagues.

“You get to a stage where the league gets better and the opposition gets better and you don’t win as many games as you would like.

“I think we’ve got to that league but next season we want to kick on and challenge for things. One thing about this football club, I have been at a lot of Football League and Conference club, this football club does things properly.

“We have a heartrate monitors and we do analysis, we have got great facilities and we work hard. This football club is professional on and off the field. That was one of the reasons why I came here and what drew me to the football club.

“And it’s one of the reasons why I have enjoyed it so much and it has been a breath of fresh air. The lads are spoilt at this level as what we do on a day-to-day basis and we have analysis and things sent to us.

“Those are things you don’t get even at a high level."