Paul Tisdale has labelled James Dunne's game-changing 37th minute red-card as 'harsh' but the manager believes his side now have to take it and move on.
Dunne picked up two yellows in three minutes for fouls on Tranmere midfielder Joss Labadie and referee Geoff Eltringham dished out Dunne's first Exeter City red card.
After the match his manager reflected on the decision.
"The red did seem harsh yes," he admitted.
"But I suppose you put yourself in that position when you are away from home on a yellow card and playing as he does, he is very purposeful in the way he closes the ball down.
"It was a foul but he looked like he actually pulled out the tackle. For me the referee is able to give a foul without giving a yellow card but it happened and what can we do about it?
"You put yourself in that situation when five minutes earlier you get carded for a late tackle which was a deserved yellow card."
City had to battle on with ten men for the best part of an hour and looked vulnerable on the break as they sent players forward in search of valuable points.
"It certainly made our task a whole lot harder," Tisdale said.
"It was 0-0 and although we weren't at our best it certainly made it an uphill battle for us.
"We have to write it off really, it happened and we are capable of getting three results now.
"We lost today and I am not going to blame anybody or any decision, it has happened and we have got to take it and be objective about what we have to do next.
"It has happened so we move on."
Keep visiting the Official Website for more from Paul Tisdale.
