Tempers flare as Coleman sees red

MORECAMBE boss Jim Bentley played down his dispute with John Coleman after a spat between the pair ended with the Accrington boss sent to the stands.

The home side were held by Stanley at the Globe Arena as their 16game winless streak against their Lancashire rivals continued.

Kevin Ellison’s 26thminute header had put the hosts in front but Luke Joyce’s long-range effort levelled the scores minutes later.

Coleman’s bust-up with Bentley saw him dismissed before Terry Gornell also saw red for a poor tackle on Laurence Wilson.

Wilson had the chance to exact revenge when Morecambe were awarded a second-half penalty but he fired over the crossbar as the game ended 1-1.

“Me and John are both passionate guys and it boiled over, but we won’t hold a grudge,” said Bentley.“He’ll be in my office now and we’ll laugh about it.

“We’ve never had a better chance of getting a win over them. It was a proper derby match. We’ve had some good moments but couldn’t find the goal.When a side goes down to ten men like they did you’ve got to get the second goal but we couldn’t.”

Accrington had the first chance of the game when Shay McCartan’s looping effort was cleared off the line by Mark Hughes.

Ellison gave the home side the lead on 26 minutes. A Jamie Devitt corner found the head of Hughes, whose effort was nodded into the top righthand corner by the winger.

Joyce’s cross-cum-shot flew over the head of Danny Ward and into the top left-hand corner to make it 1-1, before the focus turned to the touchline.

“I said to the fourth official that one of our players hadn’t made a foul,” said Coleman. “Their goalkeeping coach then decided to get involved and things got heated. I was met with a lot of aggression from their bench and I’ve been sent off.”

Tempers flared on the pitch as well, with the visitors reduced to ten men following the dismissal of Gornell for a studs up challenge on Wilson five minutes before half-time.

After the break Wilson blazed over the bar from the spot following Matty Crooks’ trip on Ellison inside the penalty area, while Devitt had a goal disallowed from Lloyd Jones’ quick free-kick.

Accrington remained a threat on the break, with boss Coleman praising their character.

He added:“We’ve got good players here and the second half showed that.

“It showed that we’ve got great fitness levels and desire, and we deserved a point.”