Cove Rangers boss Paul Hartley was left scratching his head at the decision to send off Blair Yule in their 1-1 draw with Montrose.
Yule was given a second yellow card for a challenge with defender Sean Dillon, which appeared soft with both players going for the ball.
It left Cove to fight out the final 15 minutes of an intriguing contest with 10 men and will also see the midfielder serve a one-game ban.
Hartley said: “It was very soft. Blair Yule is not a nasty player; he tries to go for the ball. It was a terrible sending off.
“We’re now missing a good player, possibly for a couple of games. You can’t appeal yellow cards so we just have to go again.”
The 1-1 draw left the Cove manager frustrated, given their play in the first half and the chances they created.
He was also unhappy with the penalty his side gave away, with Fraser Fyvie bringing down Montrose substitute Blair Lyons. Graham Webster scored from the spot to cancel out Rory McAllister’s opener.
Hartley added: “I was a wee bit frustrated. I thought we played some really good stuff in the first half and were a real threat.
“We got a good goal then gave away a stupid penalty, it’s silly. We had the sending off but our reorganisation with 10 men was good and they didn’t really cut us open at all.
“We shot ourselves in the foot a bit. In the first half we had some really good play and created chances but it’s a stupid challenge. There’s no need for it.”
Cove are now fifth in League One after Saturday’s point, with Montrose maintaining hold of second place.