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Referees will make mistakes, we can't expect them not to, but we can expect them to get a few more decisions right than this incompetent official did and we can expect him to referee the game in some sort of fair manner. Mason got it horribly wrong on so many counts, and his performance in this keenly awaited derby proved to make a massive contribution to the game's outcome.
I'm not suggesting that we turned in an excellent performance that warranted a comfortable win, because that is something we didn't do, but only this fool from Bolton will be able to tell me how on earth we didn't get a penalty at the beginning of the game and how Preston kept eleven and even ten men on the pitch.
But he's a select referee, he'll probably have smugly made his way home believing he's had a good game when in fact his performance has without any question of doubt influenced the result of this game, and someone should be taking a long serious look at his performance before allowing him anywhere near the middle of a football pitch again.
At approximately two minutes past three Preston goalkeeper Andy Lonergan should have been ready to face an Andy Gray penalty and his side already down to ten men with Matt Hill sent off for deliberate hand ball on the line. Instead Burnley were asking serious questions of Mason as he appeared to be the only person inside Turf Moor who hadn't spotted the offence.
It was the brightest of starts from a Burnley side showing one change, with Stephen Jordan replacing the injured Clarke Carlisle. Robbie Blake turned to set up a chance on the edge of the box only to see it beaten out by Lonergan to Lafferty. Lafferty's effort was stopped on the line by Hill and Mason's absolute nightmare had started. No matter what Preston's plans were, had they gone down to ten men so early in the game, and with a chance of going a goal down as well, they would have had to change.
Maybe it all knocked the wind out of our sails but Preston had quite a bit of the early play but they never seriously threatened out goal although they did hit in a good few shots from distance, one of which Gabor Kiraly saved well down at his right hand post. It was Burnley though who had the best chance. A Lafferty effort deflected to Blake and he crossed low across and close to goal. Gray just didn't appear to react and the chance went begging.
The game was scrappy and there were one or two incidents that should have been dealt with better by the referee. The worst was a challenge by Neil Mellor on Jon Harley. You seriously have to wonder how on earth this didn't earn him a yellow card. He could have had one earlier, should definitely have had one here, and that just a short time later would have seen him off the field.
Just past the half hour we did finally get ourselves in front and it was no surprise that once more it came from a Wade Elliott cross. Blake and Liam Chilvers went up but it was the Preston defender who got his head to it but only as far as Lafferty who expertly floated a header back across goal and into the far corner.
In the next action Mason finally decided to book Mellor, and the forward could only be thankful he was still on the pitch. He'd let Preston off lightly during that first half hour with his collection of bizarre decisions.
Just a few minutes before half time we should have put this game to bed, but we made a sorry mess of a gilt edged opportunity and we paid dearly for it. Robbie broke clear and with both Wade and Mahon in support it was a three against one situation. Right footed Wade went left, Mahon went right. Robbie could have gone on himself but took the worst option, made a mess of it and the chance went without us ever getting a shot in on goal.
It didn't take Preston long to make us pay and Andy Gray will have to ask himself some questions as he failed to stop St. Ledger in the centre circle. It all led to Preston getting the ball down the left, and although the cross was meant to go elsewhere it found Sedgwick coming in at the far post to hit home.
Incredible, we should have had it won against the bottom of the league side but went in at half time level and there was worse to come. Joey Gudjonsson was on for Mahon at half time and shortly afterwards Steve Jones replaced the injured Lafferty and then we fell behind.
Mellor beat Jordan, who had done so well in the first half, to a ball over the top and he got through down the left to beat Kiraly with a low shot into the corner. Behind again to the bottom of the league we once again had a fight on our hands.
We should have been level almost immediately. Wade got in another superb cross to give Jones the simplest of headers. He placed it deliberately and delivered it a good distance wide of the right hand post.
Thankfully we weren't behind for too long and equalised in our next attack. A superb flick from Robbie sent Chris McCann clear and the young in form Irishman made no mistake. Game on, 2-2, and my money was on Burnley for the next two minutes at least.
Then came another controversial incident that changed once again the course of the game. McCann was fouled right in front of the referee. Incredibly with the best possible view he failed to give anything. McCann went again, and the ball run loose, and this time he lunged two footed and found himself facing the first red card of his career.
Now, not for one minute am I defending him, the decision to send him off was the correct one, but had the referee done his job the situation would not have arisen. In defence of Chris, I've been watching him play football at youth and first team level for over three years now, and not once have I ever seen him do anything that would have a referee even considering a red card. It was so out of character for the lad who will now miss the next three games. Mason of course would probably not have a clue what he'd missed, he didn't in the rest of the afternoon.
We sacrificed Robbie to bring on James O'Connor but I thought we got it wrong. We allowed Preston to come at us far too often, we dropped off them too much and granted them too much space. I always suspected that it could prove our downfall.
It nearly did once but Gabor made a brilliant save via the bar. Next time he and Burnley weren't so lucky. Jones headed the ball out and it found Whaley. We didn't close him down, we allowed him to get his shot in and he planted it right into the corner for 3-2. The clock was showing 82 minutes, and this looked as though it might be the winner.
It was but there was plenty more to come. Preston should have made it 4-2 but substitute Hawley made a real mess of it and quick thinking by Gabor set us up for one last chance. It took some poor defending before the ball dropped for Gray, but the forward who is struggling to score at home this season, hit his shot too close to Lonergan, a good chance missed.
David Unsworth, now up front, won a free kick which he took himself. It flew just over the bar after a deflection but the corner came to nothing and the last chance was gone although the game ended in further controversy as Mason got his red card out again this time because he believed Joey Gudjonsson had stamped on a Preston player down following a foul.
It led to ugly scenes with Brian Jensen and Ade Akinbiyi both on the pitch, but it was hardly a surprise. Nine men left, and eventually the Bolton official blew the final whistle on our sixth home game without a win.
Wade had a real go at the referee at the final whistle, as did Gray and then manager Coyle. Mason should be taking a long hard look at himself, but he won't, he'll smugly have gone home thinking he's done a good job.
As for Burnley, let's not allow this appalling refereeing performance detract from the fact that we simply weren't good enough again on the day in front of our own fans. We continue to give goals away far too easily and despite some saying chances went begging again at the other end the simple fact is that the Gray/Blake partnership is not getting us goals at home. Take the penalties away and they've scored three between them in eleven home Championship games.
It's been good away from home all season, it has been anything but at Turf Moor where the good football has been difficult to find. We've been beaten twice this week by the bottom of the league. It's not good enough, those games should have been won. Incredibly had they been we would be third in the table now.
As it is we are ninth, but to keep that sort of position and move on we need to start winning games at home. We'll play the next two, along with next week's trip to Ipswich, without the two suspended players. Add that to injuries and other potential suspensions with cards mounting up and we might just be in for a tough Christmas.
Mason will dominate this game, and so he should, he got it horribly wrong and altered the course of the game. I hope I don't see him again for a long, long time.
But we move on, we've got to forget Mason, and we've got to start winning at home.
The teams were;
Burnley: Gabor Kiraly, Graham Alexander, Stephen Jordan, David Unsworth, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, Chris McCann, Alan Mahon (Joey Gudjonsson 45), Kyle Lafferty (Steve Jones 53), Robbie Blake (James O'Connor 67), Andy Gray. Subs not used: Brian Jensen, Ade Akinbiyi.
Preston: Andy Lonergan, Billy Jones (Youl Mawene 73), Liam Chilvers, Sean St. Ledger, Matt Hill, Simon Whaley, Chris Sedgwick, Callum Davidson, Paul McKenna (Darren Carter 48), Neil Mellor, Paul Gallagher (Karl Hawley 86). Subs not used: Chris Neal, Lewis Neal.
Referee: Lee Mason (Bolton).
Attendance: 14,829.