Neal Ardley fuming with officials after Solihull draw with Hartlepool

Frustrated Solihull manager Neal Ardley slammed the officials for not awarding his side two penalties and sending off a Hartlepool defender as his team drew 2-2 with the Sky Bet League Two strugglers in the FA Cup first round.

Andy Dallas and Joe Sbarra twice hauled the National League side level after Josh Umerah and Jack Hamilton had given the visitors the lead but it was the officiating which infuriated the Moors boss.

Ardley said: “I’m really disappointed we haven’t won, not that I thought that we were anywhere near our best but the two goals we conceded were very poor.

“Other than that we have probably created enough chances to score four or five but the game could have changed if the referee has made the right decisions.

“Josh Kelly gets booted up by his shoulder and if that happens anywhere else on the pitch you get a free-kick so to not give a penalty between the four officials is poor and can only be that they haven’t wanted to make a decision like that.

“Then Alex Reid has a header going into goal and it is handled on the goal-line which is a sending off and they don’t give that either so I’m really disappointed with the officials. In a cup tie like that it makes a difference.”

Kelly had a glorious chance to fire Moors into a fifth-minute lead only to shoot straight at goalkeeper Ben Killip. Instead, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock on 18 minutes, Umerah on target following good work by Wes McDonald out wide.

An excellent save from home goalkeeper Ryan Boot denied Nicky Featherstone early in the second half and Moors were back on level terms on 51 minutes when a quick break upfield ended with Dallas scoring.

Hartlepool regained the lead on 70 minutes when substitute Hamilton headed in a corner but they also came across an in-form goalkeeper as Boot made two outstanding saves to deny skipper Featherstone and Theo Robinson, with Callum Cooke also crashing an effort against the crossbar.

The non-league side weathered the storm and were able to book a replay a week on Tuesday when Sbarra equalised for a second time with six minutes remaining, turning in the loose ball after a Kyle Storer shot had been blocked.

Hartlepool interim manager Keith Curle said: “It is disappointing when you take the lead twice and we have given away cheap goals.

“There are positives you can take from it. We dominated but without really having that cutting edge going into that final third where I think we still lack that little bit of quality.

“Sometimes you have to take the shackles off and you have to make things happen. If we had done that more often we would have caused them more problems.”