STAGS SEAL IT AS GARY LETS RIP
FED-up Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson has called on the FA to look into the touchline antics of Mansfield Town’s management duo Steven Evans and Paul Raynor.
Johnson was sent to the stands during his side’s dramatic defeat at the Stags following an altercation with assistant manager Paul Raynor.
The incident flared seconds after Taylor Moore had been red-carded for elbowing Danny Rose.
“In my opinion, the FA have got to look at that as a whole game,” said Johnson.
“Have you ever seen dug-out shenanigans like that?
“Both came into my technical area at a time when their lad had gone down. I gave Raynor a little shove in the tummy and he went mad and the ref came over.
“I just felt the referee started off on the wrong foot and couldn’t get a grip of the game from thereon.
“The referees have allowed them to win the day. Maybe there should be a camera on their dugout one day?”
But Raynor was quick to back the referee Darren Handley and said he got the key calls correct.
“I think the referee got the big decisions right,” he said. “The referee makes the decisions and we have to accept them.
“Referees have got a very difficult job but the most pleasing thing is to get the three points and the character our players showed.
“It was a massive three points for us. The players were magnifi- cent. They are in a good place and have been for a few weeks now. The win shows what we we are about.”
Harry Pell put the visitors ahead from the spot on 24 minutes after Hayden White tripped Mohamed Eisa.
CJ Hamilton tapped home at the back post to level on 34 minutes after a great cut-back by Alfie Potter.
It got worse for Cheltenham when Moore was given a straight red card on 40 minutes to spark a touchline confrontation. Johnson was then sent to the stands seconds later for his part in the pushing and shoving.
Lee Angol had a 53rd-minute header saved as Mansfield looked to make the extra man count.
But the numbers were levelled up on 68 minutes when White was given a straight red card for a late lunge on Ilias Chatzitheodoridis. Elijah Adebayo fired the resilient Robins ahead from a tight angle on 73 minutes. Kane Hemmings dragged the Stags level on 80 minutes from inside the six-yard box after good work from Alex MacDonald. And they were given a helping hand when Danny Wright was redcarded for lashing out at Potter with seven minutes to go. The drama was complete when Hamilton got his second in the 94th minute to boost Mansfield’s playoff dreams.