"Needs to be looked at" - Exeter City: Gary Caldwell left fuming with issue he had at Wrexham AFC | OneFootball

Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell was left frustrated with an offside call against his team at Wrexham on Saturday

Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell was left frustrated by a key decision during his side's 3-0 defeat at Wrexham on Saturday afternoon, and claims that bigger clubs in League One hold an advantage over the likes of the Grecians when it comes to officiating.

The Red Dragons opened the scoring after just seven minutes through Max Cleworth, before striker Ollie Palmer notched his third league goal of the campaign to establish a 2-0 lead for the hosts.

Caldwell's men responded to this setback when Caleb Watts found the back of the net, but his effort was adjudged to have been offside, much to the disappointment of the Grecians boss.

Caldwell left furious with big Wrexham offside call

During a post-match interview with the Exeter media team, the Scot said: "We scored a brilliant goal just before half-time which, for some reason, the linesman gave offside.

"I heard a statement which I'd never heard in my life that the referee didn't know, so he gave them the decision.

"When you're here at this stadium, you're going to need big decisions to go your way, and they didn't in that first half.

"It's too easy in these big stadiums with bigger clubs to say, ‘It's only Exeter’ and they get away with it.

"That needs to be looked at, it needs to be assessed, and to say that he's got that wrong.

"It happens too many times, and I have to say it if I feel hard done by.

"We were still second best in that first half and have to look at ourselves, but that decision is a big turning point for what the game could have been."

But while Caldwell looked back at a potential turning point in the afternoon, the Red Dragons sealed a comprehensive victory as Oli Rathbone scored their third with less than 20 minutes to go.

Following the match, Red Dragons boss Phil Parkinson was clearly the happier of the two managers and said: "That was a really strong performance from us.

"Exeter are a difficult team to break down, and they’ve only conceded 10 goals this season.

"I thought we played some great football and got the control we looked for in the game with Matty James and Ollie Rathbone in the middle of the pitch and Elliot Lee changing his position gave us a different dynamic."

Wrexham defeat could spark downward spiral for Exeter

While Caldwell was left particularly frustrated with the officiating on Saturday afternoon, the Grecians faithful may be more concerned with their side's rough run of fixtures ahead.

The Red Dragons currently sit second in League One, and boast plenty of high quality players among their ranks, so were always likely to provide Caldwell and co with a tough afternoon at the office.

The Grecians were going well prior to their heavy defeat in north Wales, with a recent win over Nathan Jones' Charlton Athletic, prior to a 0-0 draw with fellow play-off hopefuls Lincoln City.

However, Exeter's upcoming fixtures indicate that bouncing back from their Red Dragons setback will be easier said than done as they host Birmingham City, who spent big during the summer transfer window with additions such as Jay Stansfield, and are pushing for an immediate return back to the Championship.

And after that, it doesn't get much easier for Caldwell's men, who then face league leaders Wycombe Wanderers, following an FA Cup tie with Chesterfield, before encountering Stockport County and Barnsley, who currently sit third and sixth respectively.

The Grecians will have to punch above their weight over the course of the coming weeks, or they risk the prospect of losing serious momentum in their play-off push.