THE pen proved far mightier than the sword for Torquay boss Paul Cox on Tuesday night after bad handwriting was blamed for his side's last-gasp defeat to Woking.
The Torquay United manager is livid after a substitution cock-up left the Gulls short at Plainmoor.
When clubs request to replace a player, shirt numbers are written on an FA card by one of the team's dug-out staff and handed to the fourth official, who enters the digits into his board.
But the player withdrawn was read as 17 and not seven – with Cox desperate to replace tiring Louis Briscoe, who had just returned from injury, for the final ten minutes.
Embarrassing
The midfielder, who wears seven, was forced to stay on when striker Alex Fisher was unwittingly replaced instead.
Torquay weren't allowed to rectify the mistake following a ten-minute delay as north Devon referee Brett Huxtable stuck to the rule book.
The former Mansfield boss was sent from the dug-out and forced down the tunnel thanks to his protests and he missed the Cards snatch a late winner through defender Ismail Yakubu.
Cox says scribbler Kenny Veysey's writing was not at fault and blames the officials for what he says was an avoidable, embarrassing incident.
He told The NLP: “What went on had a massive impact on the game. We had used up all our subs and had to take off a player who was fine and keep on a midfielder who was struggling and put him up front.
“I tried to stop Fisher coming off the pitch but it was too late. The referee dug his heels in, I know they have a hard job but all we ask for is some common sense. There was a period where they could have rectified things but they chose not to.
“Our goalkeeper coach wrote seven, but it was perhaps more of a continental seven with a line through it. The fourth officials read it as 17 and they refused to accept the mistake. If you aren't sure, just ask. It looked nothing like a 17!
“It cost us the chance of winning the game as Louis wasn't ready for 90 minutes. We were practically playing a man light for the final ten minutes.
“I was sent off and I kicked a half empty bag of ice! After the game the assessor acknowledged that their communication should've been better. It would have taken a second to ask one of us to clarify what the number was.”
