Exeter City: FA Cup refereeing error 'could cost the club January signings' - Matt Taylor

Exeter City manager Matt Taylor says a refereeing error in his side's FA Cup 2-1 loss at Cambridge United has the potential to cost his club the chance to bring in new players next month.

City have had an apology after the referee wrongly overruled his assistant in allowing Cambridge's winning goal.

Sam Smith was offside and interfering with play as he missed an 88th-minute cross that Harvey Knibbs converted.

Cambridge got a money-spinning draw at Newcastle United in round three.

Exeter striker Sam Nombe has been ruled out for up to three months after he suffered a hamstring injury during the game.

"The result and the consequence of what happened with the referee was even more hurtful because we might not be able to recruit in January on the back of the money we've not got," Taylor told BBC Radio Devon.

"There's no guarantee of us getting in the next round but at least we would have had the chance of it.

"If we'd have had the replay and the opportunity to maybe got to Newcastle then finances wouldn't have been an issue, there wouldn't have been a question in relation to that."

Taylor received an apology for the mistake after the club raised it with the FA, but the Exeter manager says the admission of a mistake has made the error even more galling:

"It makes it worse the fact that they're happy to use that example as a coaching tool for the referees who don't know the rules," he added.

"It's absolutely brutal because the players didn't deserve that on Saturday and they didn't deserve to watch the draw happen.

"There's no guarantees in terms of beating Cambridge, but at least we had a fair enough chance, and the consequence is financial for the club, it's huge."