The New Saints boss Scott Ruscoe admitted the sending off of midfielder Jon Routledge led to their Irn-Bru Cup round two defeat on Saturday night.

A below-par TNS needed a 95th minute leveller from Joash Nembhard to force penalties against Scotland's Queen's Park, who scored twice in the final six minutes to nearly pull-off a shock in normal time. 

Routledge had given Saints a first-half lead but was given a straight red for foul play, leaving TNS under pressure with 10 men for the last 20 minutes.

But Ruscoe felt his side maybe did not deserve to progress in a competition they have reached the last four in two years running. 

"The sending off did change the game but I thought we were poor from minute one til the end," said the frustrated Saints boss.

"We got the lifeline at the end but the penalties summed up our whole evening I think.

"We were waiting for other peole to make our decisions for us and our game was littered with mistakes, we didn't take care of the ball.

"It was frustrating that our patience went out of the game. We were forcing the ball from the back when it wasn't on. It was getting cut out and they were on the break.

"We didn't look right; what we were trying to do looked alien to us and it was one of those nights where I was pleading to get that second goal. 

"But there was more than enough in that team to beat what is an amateur side; their manager tells me they don't get paid so it's slightly embarrassing to get beat this way.

"We could see that coming and at half-time you're trying to re-affirm that to the players. 

"Once one person makes a mistake, the next person does and it travels through the team and you can't stop it.

"It was one of those games you could see it happening and it was up to the players."

Saints are straight back into league action on Tuesday night when they host Aberystwyth Town on Tuesday night before travelling to Llanelli for a Friday evening kick-off.