Gerhard Struber and Bristol City slipped out of the Championship play-off places with their “cheap” defeat away to WrexhamGerhard Struber watches on as Bristol City are beaten by Wrexham(Image: Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

Gerhard Struber was left frustrated by the “cheap” nature of Bristol City’s defeat to Wrexham, and while the Robins boss felt responsibility for the result lay with him and his players, he was disappointed with some of the decisions made by referee Ruebyn Ricardo.

The Reds slipped outside of the Championship play-off places with a 2-0 defeat at the Racecourse Ground on Wednesday evening. A first-half strike from Nathan Broadhead and a second-half own-goal from Radek Vitek proved to be enough for Wrexham to keep all three points in North Wales.

Broadhead opened the scoring after just 16 minutes when he curled a right-footed shot from outside the area beyond Vitek and into the top right corner. Though City grew into the contest, the result was confirmed when George Thomason’s corner struck the inside of the post before finding the back of the net via the Robins’ stopper.

READ MORE: Wrexham 2 Bristol City 0 – Robins below par as they slip to disappointing defeatREAD MORE: Wrexham 2-0 Bristol City reaction: Reds slip to loss as Broadhead and Thomason score for hosts

Between both goals, the Robins were unable to take advantage of the good positions they found themselves in. Although it was their slow start that ultimately proved costly, Struber was just as irritated by the lack of cutting edge in the final third.

“[I’m] really frustrated [with] how cheaply we lose this game,” the head coach told Bristol Live in his post-match press conference. “I would say, we had a little bit of a difficult start, we have not always the best instances in pressing moments and, of course, also the first goal, how we conceded this was really cheap.

“I have to look back again, but I remember that we have, in the end, the one versus one on the outside and in the end, that we come in a two versus one moment too late. So how we closed back was not really good, also how we defend in the end and come in a block moment was too late.

“A little bit sleepy, so not the typical face from us and the aggression what we want against them was in this moment not on the highest level. After that, we also change a little bit the staggering and the shape in a different direction, and then we find more momentum for ourselves.

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“Also, [we have] the one or other really good chance, and this is on the same time makes me unhappy today: that we don’t score goals. When we are away, and we have so many good moments, we should score a goal and then, I think, the game could change, and this would be a hit in the face for them.”

City’s best chances fell the way of both Anis Mehmeti and McCrorie, and while neither player was able to hit the target with their efforts on either side of the break, the Scotsman did have the ball in the back of the net late in the first half.

After Mehmeti’s deflected shot was spilt by Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonwko, Emil Riis pounced to leave McCrorie with a simple tap-in. Just as those in the away end began to celebrate, referee Ricardo blew his whistle, having adjudged Riis to have fouled the home side’s stopper.

The Robins players on the field were visibly frustrated with the decision, as was Struber in the dugout. The City boss was quickly booked in the wake of the call, and while he was keen to shoulder the blame for the result, he admitted that he felt this game would have been better officiated by a more experienced referee.

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“I have to look back at what’s happened there, but I would say that maybe the referee only saw something,” Struber explained. “But maybe my distance was too big.

“I don’t say that I saw something… I don’t know, I have to look back, and then I will have a clearer picture but my understanding was that this was a clear goal.

“We have a TV screen next to us, and we can see more moments today that I would say the referee maybe has not always the biggest luck with his decision,” the head coach added. “We have to accept that. We have to be better. Our performance must be better, so in the end, it is our responsibility; this is what we can influence.

“But, on the same time, I wish, of course, that we have referees that have maybe a little bit more experience in a game like that.”

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