Half-time rammy dominates clash
TOMMY WRIGHT has launched an investigation into the bust-up between his two players, Danny Swanson and Richard Foster, that leaves both fighting to save their St Johnstone careers.
In amazing scenes at the Superseal Stadium as the players walked off at halftime, Swanson and Foster argued and then went nose-to-nose.
They wrestled to the ground as at least one punch was thrown and kicks made.
Swanson appeared to make contact with his team- mate. Referee Don Robertson sent both players off inside his room at the interval.
During the altercation on the pitch, Hamilton boss Martin Canning, his assistant Guillaume Beuzelin and a few of their players gestured to the ref to send the pair off.
Wright, his staff and players took exception to this and it all kicked off between the two technical areas. Beuzelin was sent to the stand for his part in it all.
On the park, Accies won 1-0 thanks to a stoppage time winner from Alex D’Acol. The win lifts the Lanarkshire side off the bottom of the table and above Inverness.
But the talking points centred around Swanson and Foster, and Wright was clearly an angry man.
Wright claimed not to have watched back any footage of the incident and said: “I missed it all and I couldn’t see my players for the Hamilton staff trying to make sure the ref gave the right decision, which probably made it look worse.
“Until I see it, I can’t really comment. But I have told the two players involved, in front of the rest, that the club will investigate it.
“They have been told that, if what happened is what is alleged to have happened, I will and the club will, come down on them as hard as we possibly can, legally.
“And we will. This will be dealt with in the strongest possibly way we can.
“They have shaken hands. They have been really foolish and they are probably embarrassed.
“Whether they had a grievance about what was happening on the pitch, that should have waited until the dressing-room.
“They have cost us three points. And we nearly got a point from the
magnificent performance of the nine who stayed on the pitch.
“But you saw from my other players that they will not allow that to derail us.
“I should be sitting here with a glass of champagne celebrating our place in the top six, if 11 stayed on the pitch, but human beings makes mistakes and two of my players have made mistakes today.”
Canning was delighted with the three crucial points but also had his say on the brawl.
He said: “I just saw the end and them being pulled apart as I was turning to walk up the tunnel.
“I realised something was going on and myself and Guillaume headed on to the park to make sure our players were not getting involved.
“We both said to the referee that is two red cards because it was a fight on the pitch. Their players have taken exception to Guillaume speaking to the referee and expressing that opinion, just as I was going to do.
“He was then sent-off and it turned into a mess.
“It’s not what you want to see. We shouldn’t be seeing that on the pitch, it’s about the football.
“For us, it was a huge three points.”