IAN Evatt was left frustrated after watching Nathan Delfouneso’s ‘equalising’ goal ruled out by an assistant referee against Newport.

With the visitors one up, Wanderers thought they had equalised just four minutes later as Nathan Delfouneso lashed home Liam Gordon’s cross after half-time.

Though referee Chris Sarginson signalled a goal – which would have been Bolton’s first of the league campaign – his far-side assistant Gary Maskell spotted a handball.

Evatt says his striker was insistent the goal should have stood.

“To be honest, I don’t want to say too much because I don’t like making excuses,” he said. “But it’s the way things are going for us at the moment.

“Football has a funny way sometimes of punishing you when you are at your lowest.

“A referee who is a yard away says ‘no handball’ but a linesman who is at the opposite side with 10-15 bodies in front of him somehow sees it and gives handball.

“It’s frustrating and would have changed the game completely but it is what it is. We have to be better on that side of things – but Nathan thinks it’s a goal.

“The referee thought it was a goal, who’s a yard away from it, right in front of it, so it’s frustrating. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Newport boss Mike Flynn said the goal would have been against the run of play, adding.

“To be fair, the referee the referee didn’t see it but the linesman has made the right call.

“I have seen it again and it was the right call, a brave call, so they get a lot of stick but they have to get those decisions right and, for me, he did.”