Crewe Alexandra manager Lee Bell criticized a crucial refereeing decision in their 3-2 loss to Grimsby, which impacted their League Two play-off chances. Bell argued that Grimsby's second goal should have been disallowed due to a foul in the build-up.
Lee Bell's side are 10th in League Two with three games left [Getty Images]
Crewe Alexandra boss Lee Bell has slammed a key refereeing decision in their 3-2 defeat at Grimsby which dealt a blow to their League Two play-off hopes.
Bell was furious that referee David Rock failed to disallow Grimsby's second goal, believing Andy Cook had committed an "absolute blatant foul" on James Connolly in the build-up.
The visitors scored twice late on, but the fightback fell short, leaving Crewe three spots outside the play-off places in 10th.
"How he's not given a foul for that second goal I do not know," Bell told BBC Radio Stoke.
"Eight months' work has gone into this (season) and they've just got to make the right decisions.
"You expect four people who are controlling the game to get that decision right.
"You can see from this side of the pitch that Cook's gone to try and toe-end it, he's kicked Beefy's (James Connolly) left foot and he's ended up stumbling and going down, it's a free-kick. It changes the game and the confidence of the players."
Bell believed his side had nullified Grimsby's passing game and barring a mistake in the first half there was little between them until Kieran Green made it 2-0.
"He's not given it (the free-kick) because their staff were after him when Cook did one in the first half and they didn't think it was a foul," he added.
"I think overall that decision then swayed what he did there because it's a foul."
Crewe have been in and around the play-off places for most of the season, but are now three points behind seventh-placed Chesterfield and with a similar goal difference.
But the Spireites have a game in hand, while Grimsby, in eighth, have played two games less than the Alex who have a challenging run-in.
They host second-placed MK Dons on Saturday before visiting Chesterfield a week later and their final game is at home to third-placed Cambridge, yet Bell sees those games as an opportunity to press their claims.
"I don't want to hear anyone say or think we're not in the conversation and I've told the players that," he said.
"We've got a tough game coming on Saturday and a tough game the Saturday after that, but if we pick up maximum points they're the games that are going to help us to try and get that seventh spot."
The controversial decision involved Grimsby's second goal, which Crewe manager Lee Bell claimed should have been disallowed due to an obvious foul by Andy Cook on James Connolly.
The defeat left Crewe Alexandra in 10th place, three spots outside the play-off positions with only three games remaining in the season.
The referee involved in the decision was David Rock, who officiated the match between Crewe Alexandra and Grimsby Town.
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