Gillingham were left frustrated by a refereeing decision that proved costly in their penalty shootout loss at Newport.

The first-round FA Cup tie at Newport went to penalties, after a 2-2 draw and that was poised at 1-1 when Gills keeper Jake Turner made a brilliant save to deny Cameron Antwi, only to be penalised for being off his line. Antwi scored with the retaken kick and the home team went on to win the shootout 4-3.

Report: Penalty defeat for the Gills at Newport

Assistant boss Richard Dobson said: “It's really harsh to take when it's a penalty shootout defeat, especially the manner in which it went.

“It's an incredibly cruel way to lose the game. I thought in the second half we got a grip of the game, had a lot of territorial possession.

“I think the head injuries to their players killed a little bit of momentum that we'd built up at that stage. When it goes into extra time and there's a lot of tired legs, there's a lot of space, it becomes a game of basketball.

“The game goes end-to-end. We have chances, they have chances, and they found the net, a little bit of sloppy play with us. We didn't track a runner at a second phase from a set-piece.

“They found the back of the net, and then we're chasing the game again. Fair play to the lads, they dug in, they got the goal, and then you're at the lottery of penalties and in this situation it’s another official's decision that's gone against us.”

The Gills led Saturday’s game through Elliott Nevitt’s goal on 14 minutes but Newport equalised before the break. Without another goal in normal time, the match went to extra-time.

With 109 minutes played, Antwi put Newport 2-1 up, only for Seb Palmer-Houlden to level it up with just two minutes of extra-time remaining, taking the match to penalties.

Max Clark scored Gillingham’s first kick, and Courtney Baker-Richardson replied, but then Remeao Hutton had his saved and so did Newport’s Sammy Braybrooke. It was 1-1 with two penalties taken each.

Sam Vokes crashed his effort off the bar and then came the controversy. Turner saved brilliantly to deny Antwi but the referee ordered it to be retaken, having penalised the Gills keeper for moving off his line before the kick was taken.

“It was an incredibly close call,” said Dobson. “To make that decision in real time is incredibly close. You're talking about a fraction of a second if his foot's come off the line.

“We had to slow [the video] right down to see whether he'd come off the line or not. It's a really, really tight call.

“I don't know why they feel the need to get involved in things as close as that one. It swings momentum back in their favour with the penalties.

“No-one would have said anything had they just got on with it. To put yourself in that position and make that call is a really big call. Why you would want to make that call when it's that close?

“I can't tell whether he was on the line or not. We've looked for it in slow motion. It's a tough one to take and Jake said when they stutter like that, it's hard for goalkeepers because you're ready to move and then they stutter and they move again.

“There's a little bit of an advantage to the attackers there that the goalkeepers can't move. He's moved one foot to start with, but whether or not he's right heels on the floor, I don't know.

“We practiced penalties [on Friday]. We made sure that we were diligent in our preparation for that eventuality, but you can't recreate the real game-time moments that penalty shoot-outs bring out.”

With Antwi netting Newport’s third, they then had the advantage with two kicks remaining each, leading 2-1. Nelson Khumbeni and Palmer-Houlden netted for the Gills but so did Bobby Kamwa and Ben Lloyd, to win it for the Welsh side.

“The dressing room was angry,” said Dobson. “I will pick the bones out of it over the next couple of days.

“I think we grew into the game as the game went on but, as I say, once it becomes open like that in the second half and they've got players that can carry the ball up the pitch, it does become a little bit like basketball.

“You're just hoping that you take your chance and they don't take theirs.

“In the end, they struck first but the boys work their backsides off to get back into the game.

“I guess for a neutral end-to-end cup tie, both clubs going at it full-blooded, I think for a neutral it's good. But when you're on the receiving end of a penalty defeat, it hurts.”