Derry City manager Tiernan Lynch believes that his side were "harshly done by" in their 2-0 defeat to St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park on Monday night.
The Candystripes’ poor start to the season continued as they conceded two penalties and were reduced to ten men at the Inchicore venue.
It leaves City struggling in ninth place having lost three of their four opening games and already six points off the league leaders.
A penalty in either half settled the tie, while Derry’s cause was not helped when Carl Winchester was sent off just two minutes after the break, awarded a straight red card by referee Gavin Colfer.
Speaking after the game, City manager Lynch said he had to be conscious about how much he offered his opinion on matters, and had to accept the decision-making of others, however, he was clearly upset with how things unfolded against Stephen Kenny’s side.
"I thought that we were very harshly done by," said Lynch, speaking to BBC Sport after the game. "I thought decisions in the game that went against us completely changed the outcome of the game.
"I’ve to be very careful what I say and be conscious of that, and respect other people’s decisions, but the outcome of the game was changed by decisions that I thought were harsh.
"It's better that I don't elaborate on the red card or the two penalty decisions," he added.
Overall, Lynch was happy with how his side reacted to Friday night’s disappointing home defeat to Waterford, where he felt "our intensity wasn’t there and we let ourselves down a little bit".
And while he knew that the red card added to the already tough task lying ahead in the second half against the Saints, he was content that he did not end up with a demoralising result.
"I felt we played some very good football at times, and I thought you seen the things we are working hard on, and starting to implement. We could have probably have penetrated a little bit more in the final third at times.
"You find yourself in a situation [down to ten men], that if you go gung-ho, there could be a scoreline that makes it difficult to pick the players up from, and afterwards, I had nothing but praise for the players."
But Lynch took the defeat and the poor start on the chin and accepts that things need to improve on the results front as he looks to make his mark on his new club throughout the long campaign ahead.
"I've been here before. I'm big enough and ugly enough to work through this," said the former Larne manager.
"I think there's too many quality players in that changing room. I see the commitment they’re putting in…that (poor form) can't last."
"At Derry City, every game you have to win, that's how I look at it. Regardless of how you play, decisions that go against you, that's not good enough.
"We're fully aware, we're not shying away, we face things head on."
