Crewe boss Bell fumes at key refereeing decision

Lee Bell's side are 10th in League Two with three games left [Getty Images] Crewe Alexandra boss Lee Bell has slammed a key refereeing decision in their 3-2 defeat at Grimsby which dealt a blow to their League Two play-off hopes. Bell was furious that referee David Rock failed to disallow Grimsby's second goal, believing Andy Cook had committed an "absolute blatant foul" on James Connolly in the build-up. The visitors scored twice late on, but the fightback fell short, leaving Crewe three spots outside the play-off places in 10th.

"How he's not given a foul for that second goal I do not know," Bell told BBC Radio Stoke. "Eight months' work has gone into this (season) and they've just got to make the right decisions. "You expect four people who are controlling the game to get that decision right.

"You can see from this side of the pitch that Cook's gone to try and toe-end it, he's kicked Beefy's (James Connolly) left foot and he's ended up stumbling and going down, it's a free-kick. It changes the game and the confidence of the players. " Grimsby Town 3-2 Crewe Alexandra We still want to be in play-off conversation - Bell Bell believed his side had nullified Grimsby's passing game and barring a mistake in the first half there was little between them until Kieran Green made it 2-0.

"He's not given it (the free-kick) because their staff were after him when Cook did one in the first half and they didn't think it was a foul," he added. "I think overall that decision then swayed what he did there because it's a foul. " Crewe have been in and around the play-off places for most of the season, but are now three points behind seventh-placed Chesterfield and with a similar goal difference.