Neil Warnock has told Gillingham they need to improve their medical care after his Cardiff City team were bundled out of the FA Cup.
The Cardiff manager saw his team lose 1-0 at Priestfield to become the notable victims of round three, but a terrible day was in danger of becoming far worse due to the hosts’ poor response to injuries, claimed Warnock.
The Bluebirds’ shock defeat to the Gills was compounded by second-half injuries to winger Kadeem Harris and forward Danny Ward.
Harris received lengthy treatment on the pitch for a shoulder problem, with Warnock unhappy with amount of time it took for a stretcher to be brought on.
“I think if you’re a medical person and you are wanting a stretcher, you’d be there quicker. If he’d had a heart attack, he’d be dead now,” said Warnock.
“I think they’ve got a lot to learn.
“Whatever division you’re in, you are concerned about your players if they don’t get the right treatment and we were waiting for a stretcher for I don’t know how long, but that’s life.”
Harris underwent an x-ray on the injury before being taken to hospital, while substitute Ward was given a scan on a cheekbone problem sustained during a collision.
Cardiff’s afternoon went from bad to worse after they were made to pay for squandering numerous chances by an 81st-minute winner from Elliott List.
City twice hit the crossbar in the second period before the late sucker-punch.
Warnock, who urged his players to avoid becoming a cup headline before the tie, was left frustrated by the profligacy of his players and claimed they “would not have scored in a million years”.
“I just wish we could go in front now and then, somebody told me we’ve only been in front 94 minutes this season,” said Warnock, who made seven changes for the match ahead of next week’s relegation clash with Huddersfield.
“It seemed like we just wanted two or three more seconds every time we got a chance. I bet we would have missed their chance if we’d had it, we’d have had another two touches.
“I’ve no complaints with the attitude, just we wouldn’t have scored in a million years.
“Whether they (his players) thought we should be out of the cup and concentrate on the league, I don’t know. I hope we are saving them for the league games.”
Match-winner List, the only player brought in by Gills manager Steve Lovell following the 2-0 defeat to Southend, buried his chance, sparking wild celebrations from the home fans.
While Warnock felt there was a foul on his captain Sean Morrison in the build-up, the strike was allowed to stand by referee Tim Robinson and the advantage was almost doubled when Callum Reilly struck the bar from distance late on.
Swansea-born Lovell described the victory as the best of his managerial career.
“It means everything at the moment because it’s the game we’ve just played and we got a result out of it,” he said.
“Obviously I haven’t played against many Premiership teams before so it’s got to be the best, hasn’t it?
“It’s a great result.”
Speaking about 21-year-old List, Lovell added: “He’s a great young player and a great prospect and a great character. He worked really hard and he thoroughly deserved it.”
Why would you need a stretcher for a shoulder injury? He still has 2 legs, he could have easily walked off the pitch, excuse after excuse