Dick Campbell couldn’t believe Arbroath ended up losing 4-1 in a match which he felt they had the better of for long periods.
The Red Lichties gave a good account of themselves in the first half but were trailing at the break after Annan pair Josh Todd and Lewis Guy netted either side of Jamie Reid’s 20-yard strike.
The hosts clinched victory with goals at the start and end of the second half from Todd and Smart Osadolor.
Gayfield manager Campbell was adamant the full-time score was an inaccurate reflection of the game.
“I’ve been involved in a lot of games in my time, but that takes the biscuit,” he said.
“For us to be 2-1 down at half-time was incredible. We should have been about eight up.
“We had about nine corners and 70% of the possession in the first half. Christmas came in April for Annan because we gifted them two goals.
“We got them in at half-time and were looking forward to going out in the second half, but we lost a goal straight away and that killed the game.
“After that we could have played all day and not scored.
“I’m really angry at the full-time score because anybody looking at it will think Annan hammered us, but anybody at the game will tell you that wasn’t the case.
“At this stage of this season, though, it’s not about how you play it’s about collecting points.”
Arbroath are safe from relegation and can’t make the promotion play-offs but Campbell said: “From my own point of view, I’m at the stage of assessing players and deciding who’s staying and who’s going, so I learned more about them at Annan.”