Stephen Baxter's anger at Shay McCartan's opener for Glentoran on Monday night may not have subdued just yet, but the Crusaders boss has accepted an apology from referee Tony Clarke.
None of the officials saw McCartan deflect the ball into the net at the start of the second half to put the hosts 1-0 ahead in a tense affair at The Oval.
The Crues players could not hide their bewilderment that the goal was allowed to stand, and Baxter slammed the officials for not ruling it out on the night.
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But the Seaview boss said he accepted an apology from the referee after the game.
"The referee apologised to me after the game as none of the officials saw the incident," said Baxter.
"The linesman is looking right across at it, you're seeing a guy dive with his hand right out to knock it into the net but they don't see it.
"You cannot miss those at this level of the game.
"We saw it from the sideline. We knew it. All the players run to the referee, you have to know something is wrong.
"He doesn't even go and consult with his assistant, it just beggars belief.
"At this level of football in our country, live on Sky Sports and we can't get a decision right.
"This is a massive decision, and it could be the difference between winning and losing leagues.
"Our players were distraught by the decision. What goes into football matches is ruined by a decision like that.
"In saying all that you have to accept someone's apology, and I accept his apology, that's the right thing to do.
"If they put their hand up and say they got it wrong then I have to accept that."
Baxter was full of praise for his players for their response after falling 2-0 behind on the night.
And he was quick to highlight the effort of Billy Joe Burns, who played for 70 minutes despite being ill in the run up to the game.
"I'm proud of the performance, I thought every single player gave everything for the shirt," said Baxter.
"Twenty minutes before the game Billy Joe was violently sick.
"He's had a bug for a couple of days and shouldn't have played but he did play and gave us everything he had emptying the tank.
"That's where the disappointment comes from players.
"They train so hard and play so hard, but it's disappointing for them to get the response they feel they got from the referee."
Crusaders will be hoping to put their disappointment behind them when they travel to Bangor on Friday night in the Irish Cup.
Baxter knows it will be a tricky tie for the cup holders who will be keen to avoid an upset.
"We're the holders, we've got to buckle up and go down there ready for another game against a team that will come hard at you," he said.
"It's a big challenge from their perspective as they will want to turn a top team over. We have to be ready to meet that challenge.
"We need to get the team freshened up again and rested ahead of that challenge.
"We're looking forward to the game. It's a great competition, it's a competition we love and we're looking forward to going down to Bangor."
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