WESTFIELDS joint manager Sean Edwards criticised the referee after Matt Reeve sustained a serious injury during last night's game against Worcester City.

The central midfielder had to be withdrawn just before half time during the Midland League Premier Division clash following a hefty challenge from City's Nathan Hayward.

"I would like to send it to the referee really when Reevey is off for the next six weeks," said Edwards, who believed Hayward should have been sent off.

"I can't see it other than a bad injury, but if you come down like and come over the top of the ball that hard on a player at this level when the lads' got to go to work, that's what you're going to get."

John Roskelly also booked Westfields striker Richard Greaves and opposite number Lee Hughes for charging down goal kicks within the first nine minutes.

"They were both absolutely ridiculous bookings," added Edwards.

"The first one, he was 10 yards away from Alex [Harris] and the ball has hit him, and then the second one, the lad is offside, the ball is rolling and he's just kicked it at Greavsie, who was walking the other way.

"And he wasn't going to do anything about it until the fans started shouting.

"I think that summed up the referee.

"But at the end of the day, that is the level we are at and those are the referees we get.

"We've just got to get on with it."

Worcester won the game thanks to two late goals from Hughes.

"He's clever, but we were very naive," admitted Edwards.

"Just before that, I told the lads off for taking too many touches when they were playing a high line, which we knew they would.

"They caught us out and two minutes later everyone is telling me they had learnt from it and we make four or five passes within a yard's space, they win the ball back, put the ball in at the box post and the lads scores."

Edwards felt the game was poor overall and it was probably the substitutions made by Worcester that won the game.

"We started well and probably played differently to what we normally play bearing in mind the pitch," he said.

"But probably the substitutions for them won the game, whereas we didn't have an awful lot."

Greaves, Ben Hayes and James Febery all started their first games in about two months, while Stuart Davies made a welcome return to the bench following a broken leg.

"He's been training with us and been working really hard,"said Edwards.

"I wanted to get him on just a few minutes before they got the third goal because Ben Hayes came over to the side to say he had been struggling with his vision a bit and took a bang on the head.

"But then they scored, so you think it's not worth it because we've got to attack rather than sit back."

Also on the bench was Jamie Cuss, who is on a dual registration deal from Hereford in order to regain his full fitness following knee surgery.

"Having had a cruciate ligament operation, I know how hard it is to get back from that and get to the level he need to," added Edwards.

"But he came on, worked hard and got into the game.

"It will probably take him until the end of the season to get his match fitness up."

Westfields took the lead after only 28 seconds when Jamie Molyneux tapped home a Hayes cross.

However, Worcester restored parity in the 24th minute when Dave Reynolds nipped in to beat goalkeeper Alex Harris to the ball.

In a manic first half, t regained the lead just five minutes later in very fortuitous circumstances.

Greaves lofted over a 30-yard cross from the right touchline and it seemed an east catch for former Westfields goalkeeper Matt Gwynne.

But somehow Gwynne fumbled the ball into the net as he tried to gather.

Worcester levelled again when a free-kick was headed home by Brad Birch before Hughes won the game with two expert finishes in the 86th and 90th minutes.

Westfields have another tough task this Saturday when they go to in-form Coventry Sphinx.

"They have got some really good players and we've just got to see who we have available," said Edwards.

"Hopefully we'll have one or two back, but we won't have any of the suspensions back, which is a crippler because they're three key players in Sam Gwynne, Phil Glover and Aidan Thomas.

"Hayden Turner slipped down a step and hurt his ankle, Alex Hainault is recovering from pneumonia but hopefully they will back for Saturday and Mark Magee, who has been working in Scotland."