Peterhead assistant manager Davie Nicholls was left counting the cost of refereeing decisions as they went down 2-1 at Falkirk.
The Blue Toon felt they were denied an early penalty, when Josh Mulligan was bundled to the floor by midfielder Leon McCann inside the first minute.
Mulligan was instead booked by referee Matthew MacDermid after lengthy protests by the visiting players.
Falkirk took a first-half lead through Craig McGuffie and defender Paul Dixon extended the lead at the start of the second period.
Peterhead huffed and puffed and finally got themselves a goal in stoppage-time, with substitute Jordon Brown scoring a late consolation.
Nicholls said: “Decisions change games. There was a stonewall penalty in the first minute and the referee has been influenced by the crowd.
“We’ve come here before and not created a lot but we created a few half-chances and got the goal.
“Our boys battled away. At 2-0 down they could have thrown the towel in but they didn’t. They got the goal and it was just a shame time ran out for us.
“It was fine margins. Decisions change games and the referee has had a massive say in the game with the decisions he’s not given in our favour.”
Peterhead had defender Jason Brown back in the team after suspension in their only change from the 2-0 win over Alloa Athletic.
They were behind, however, early on after McGuffie steered in Callumn Morrison’s cross.
Hamish Ritchie was lively for the visitors, with a scuffed shot coming back off the post, while Aidan Keena missed chances to add to the lead.
The second came nine minutes into the second half when Peterhead failed to deal with a corner and Dixon lashed in via the underside of the crossbar.
They had to wait until stoppage-time to get themselves on the scoresheet, with Jordon Brown sending a well-placed strike past Robbie Mutch at his near post.
The coaching staff have been heartened though with how the younger players in the squad have taken to their task so far this season.
Nicholls added: “I think the young ones that have come in have a shown a good appetite and a maturity about themselves.
“It’s about keeping that going and getting a bit of confidence into them. Coming here is always a hard place to come, whether you’re full-time or part-time.”
Nicholls also hopes it is the start of things to come for Brown, who has been chasing fitness after testing positive for Covid-19 during pre-season.
He said: “Jordon is still working away at his fitness just now and I know he’s working hard away from the training ground.
“Goals like that will give him a lift and hopefully he can kick on and get us a few more.
“He’s always been a good goalscorer for us – we can count on him for seven-to-10 goals a season. We’re hoping he’s going to do that for us this season as well.”
Midfielder Simon Ferry came off early in the second half and will be assessed this week.
