Lions boss Steve Kittrick was philosophical about their midweek setback but was still disappointed by the referee’s handling of two key issues.

Guiseley would have claimed a share of the leadership in the Blue Square Bet North Division with a victory but, after leading 3-0 at home against promotion rivals Worcester City, they were held to a 3-3 draw after having two men sent off.

Danny Boshell went for two yellow-card offences, while skipper Mark Bower was shown a straight red for a challenge inside the area.

Kittrick said: “I thought Danny’s second booking was very petty.

“It was early in the second half in that spell of the game when both sides have come out of the dressing room and are trying to impose themselves on it again.

“The ref said Mark’s was a two-footed tackle. I’m a long way from it so I can’t say, but I thought he was just looking after himself.

“Mark is a top ex-pro and he would never go into a tackle with the intention of injuring a fellow player.

“For me, the ref dealt with both incidents poorly.”

Instead of dwelling on the two game-changing calls by the man in the middle, the Lions’ boss preferred to highlight his team’s spirit.

He said: “I saw the reactions of the Worcester players and staff after the game and they were delighted to get a point against nine men.

“They and their supporters were playing it up on the websites, making out it was a great comeback.

“In terms of the score, it was, but I thought it showed just what we have here.

“Our players showed great character to earn a draw from that.

“We even increased our lead after the first sending off – it was the second one that killed us.

“But the nine players dug in and put in a shift that earned the club a point in difficult circumstances.”