CITY must wait to find out if there will be any repercussions for the scenes that followed their first loss of the season.

Players from both sides rushed towards the tunnel area after referee Andy Haines blew the final whistle in Forest Green’s 1-0 win at Valley Parade.

James Vaughan and Forest Green defender Matt Mills, who had been sent off minutes earlier, were thought to be among the first caught up in the melee.

Gary Bowyer, who had raced down the touchline to try to break things up, played down the incident as “just passion” after a dramatic finish which saw Forest Green score and then City have an apparent equaliser ruled out.

There are understood to be no cameras around the dressing-room area and any further action will depend on what Haines includes in his report.

Haines had been the central figure after brandishing the yellow card 11 times. Forest Green boss Mark Cooper accused him of “ruining” the game and “causing the animosity”.

Bowyer said: “It’s nearly the impossible job refereeing a game of football with everything that goes off these days.

“I’m afraid people’s frustrations were borne out of very strange decisions.

“Ultimately, it wasn’t the referee’s decision that cost us the goal. Although, I need to see the free-kick again in the build-up.

“The linesman gave offside and you’re not able to see on the camera if James Vaughan was. We’re breaking and then he’s flagged – and they obviously score from that passage of play.”

City would have gone top of League Two with a win but Bowyer expects his side to bounce back from their opening defeat. Joe Mills' 93rd-minute header was only the second goal they have conceded in five games.

“Forest Green are a good team who will be right up there at the end of the season, for sure,” he added.

“I thought it was a real tactical game. Don’t forget they were in the play-offs in League Two last year and were very close with it.

“That shows you the measure of their team.

“I’ve seen a couple of the other score lines and everyone will beat everybody. It’s a tough league.

“We’ve lost one in five – if we do that over the course of a season then we’ll be fine. It’s a case of us now getting a reaction.”

Kelvin Mellor thought he had rescued City a point but assistant referee Chris Ward overruled Haines with an offside call.

“The linesman didn’t flag straight away and the ref gave the goal,” said Bowyer. “We can feel a little bit hard done by with that.

“We’ve got to be patient and organised and make sure that we concentrate. Unfortunately, we weren’t just at the death.”