Owls’ friendly at Mansfield is anything but as FA investigate
THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION have launched an investigation into the unruly scenes that marred the end of Sheffield Wednesday’s ‘friendly’ against Mansfield Town.
A mass brawl involving most of the 22 players on the field broke out at the final whistle on Tuesday night as Fernando Forestieri looked to throw a punch at Stags defender Calum Butcher.
Tom Lees, the Wednesday defender, also appeared to be struck in the contretemps before stewards moved in to separate the two warring parties.
Under FA rules governing “mass confrontations”, clubs can be fined if found guilty. Charges are usually made within three days of the alleged offence.
The unseemly clash broke out after Forestieri had earlier been booked following a tangle with Krystian Pearce.
Both managers were taken by surprise as the disorder broke out, Owls chief Jos Luhukay admitting: “I’ve never seen anything like that in a friendly. It was short but it was an explosion.”
David Flitcroft, the former Barnsley manager now in charge at Field Mill, added: “In a pre-season game there are no points to play for (but) you could really feel it boiling over.
“Calum Butcher has a cut lip. He has been punched in the face. You don’t want to see scenes like that at any football game but we will get to the bottom of it.” Meanwhile, took their signings to six yesterday after landing Norwich City defender Sean Raggett and Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak on season-long loan deals.
Raggett, 24, played twice for the Canaries last term and also had a spell on loan at League Two promotion-chasers Lincoln City.
Slovakia Under-21 international Rodak returns to the New York Stadium after a successful loan spell there last season.
The 21-year-old has been involved in Fulham’s pre-season and is set to play for the Millers on Tuesday as they host Cardiff City. LEEDS UNITED were last night hoping to break this summer’s transfer log-jam with the signing of Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Barry Douglas.
The 28-year-old, into the final year of his contract at Molineux, is seen by Marcelo Bielsa as the ideal man to bring to life his vision of how Leeds can prosper in next season’s Championship.
A fee is understood to have been agreed for Douglas, who provided 14 assists from left wing-back as Wolves romped to the Championship title.
If Leeds can get the deal over the line, it will represent a welcome fillip as the window for permanent transfers moves into its last fortnight.
United have endured a difficult summer with moves for Abel Hernandez, a free agent after leaving Hull City, and Derby County’s Matej Vydra floundering due to their excessive wage demands.
A deal to sign Florian Jozefzoon was similarly scuppered last week when Derby County offered the Brentford winger a wage that was way in excess of what Leeds felt he was worth.
Leeds are desperate to add to loan duo, Jamal Blackman and Lewis Baker, and have offers in for several targets, including a couple of strikers.
Landing Douglas would represent something of a coup in an area of the pitch that has been a big problem at Elland Road for years.
Signed a little over a year ago for £1m from Turkish club Konyaspor, he was a leading light in Wolves’ charge for the Premier League as Nuno Espirito Santo gave the Scot licence to bomb forward down the left flank.
Along with those 14 assists in 2017-18, he netted five goals including a spectacular free-kick against Leeds in a 4-1 defeat for the Yorkshire club at Molineux last November.
Former Leeds and Rotherham United midfielder Chris Dawson has joined Bradford Park Avenue.