A WEAK referee cost Lancaster City dear as their FA Trophy hopes suffered a blow with a 0-0 draw at home to Workington.

Man in black Gary Kellett could and should have sent off at least two Workington men and also awarded City a penalty.

But his lack of decision-making pushed the game towards stalemate and a replay last night (Tuesday).

The game could have been different had Kellet had the bottle to produce red cards for Workington pair Carl Heiniger and Kyle May after an astonishing dust up on the half-hour.

May took out Gary Bauress with a two-footed lunge and Heiniger raced in to stamp on the grounded City skipper.

A 20-man scuffle broke out but Kellet decided the best course of action was to produce yellow cards for Heiniger, May and Bauress.

City were the dominant force with Steve Skinner looking capable of prising open the Workington defence and new loan signing Tom Pope a constant threat.

And the six-feet-three-inches striker went within an ace of opening the scoring shortly after the break when he raced clear and drew keeper Adam Collin.

Pope slid the ball under Collin but it struck the foot of a post and rebounded back into the hands of the keeper.

It was tough luck on City and they were denied again when Alex Morris saw a shot stopped on the line by the hands of Alan Gray, who was protecting his face but referee Kellet ruled it was ball to hand and waved play-on.

The referee appeared to get it wrong again when last-man May felled Alex Taylor when the former Burnley striker raced clear. And then Ryan Elderton miscued the resulting free-kick high over the bar and out of the ground.

At the other end Wayne Gordon saw a long-range shot dip onto the City crossbar and the sides must meet again.

Lancaster City: McMillan 7, McMahon 8, Howson 9, Scott 8, Uberschar 7, Bauress 7 (Elderton 66, 8), Bond 7, Skinner 7 (Morris 46, 7), Eckersley 7, Pope 8, Taylor 7. Subs (not used): Shaw, Foxcroft, Holliday.

Referee: Gary Kellet (Bradford) Attendance: 206