Rotherham assistant and Mansfield boss takes issue with referee over wrong calls

Rotherham assistant Paul Raynor and Mansfield boss Nigel Clough takes issue with referee over wrong calls made through the EFL Trophy clash.

Raynor criticised the ref for sending off Alex MacDonald, and for no red shown to Mansfield player Stephen McLaughlin for a separate incident.

The Millers had to play the last 20 minutes with ten men in Tuesday night’s Bristol Street Motors Trophy game after MacDonald’s tackle going on Hiram Boateng.

Raynor, stepping in for Steve Evans, who was watching from the stands as he served a touchline ban, has since watched footage of the incident and says referee Scott Jackson made the wrong call while also taking issue with another decision.

The red card means that MacDonald will now be banned for three matches, have a look at the clip below and judge for yourself as to whether you think…

Mac’s red #rufc pic.twitter.com/IS1bgcco20

— Hancok 🇪🇪 (@San_Pers) August 20, 2024

Raynor said, per Rotherham Advertiser: “Alex wins a 50:50. The referee, I’m sure, will say it’s a high challenge and he follows through.

“We’ve looked at the video. It looked like a good, solid, hard challenge. If the ref deemed it anything more than that, it’s only a yellow. It’s a strong challenge, definitely not a red for me.”

He claimed that Stephen McLaughlin should have been given a red card instead of a yellow on the verge of half time after preventing Mallik Wilks from going through on goal, who showed up well at times on his first start, from going through on goal.

“There should definitely have been a red card,” he adds. “It was a clear scoring opportunity. The referee has a different opinion to us on that. We had the benefit of watching it back on video and if that’s not a scoring opportunity I don’t know what is. That was disappointing.”

Mansfield boss Nigel Clough meanwhile said: “I think it’s fair to say we had a couple of very, very good shouts for penalties tonight. They keep telling they’ve changed the handball rule. I didn’t think they’d taken it out of the game altogether.

“I think there were two absolute blatant penalties for handball in the second half which we didn’t get. And even leading up to their second goal, which ends up going and deflected, the lad actually stopped, one of their players because he’s handled the ball, waiting for the referee to give the free kick against him and for some reason he didn’t.

“And you saw all the players. I think when you get eight or nine players questioning a decision, as they were, and there’s something wrong with it.”

ROTHERHAM: Dawson, Bramall, James, Hugill (C) (McCart 88’), Wilks (Powell 63’), MacDonald, Jules, McWilliams (Odoffin 88’), Osong (Nombe 77’), Humphreys, Hatton (Holmes 63’).

UNUSED SUBS: Phillips, Clarke-Harris.

MANSFIELD TOWN: Flinders, Williams, Hewitt (Bowery 71’), McLaughlin (C) (Oshilaja 71’), Macdonald, Boateng, Lewis, S. Quinn (Baccus 46’), B. Quinn, Gregory (Akins 46’), Evans (Keillor-Dunn 46’).

UNUSED SUBS: Mason, Flanagan.

REFEREE: Scott Jackson

ATTENDANCE: 2,265 (698 Stags’ fans)

🗣️ Hear from the boss after tonight’s Bristol Street Trophy match at Rotherham.#Stags 🟡🔵 pic.twitter.com/2IfncyPEwp

— Mansfield Town FC (@mansfieldtownfc) August 20, 2024

See more of the latest football news HERE.

This is how fans reacted on social media as the Rotherham assistant and Mansfield boss takes issue with the referee over wrong calls…

@3000_semaj: Games gone

@Owen__Connell: “Can’t argue with that” wasn’t even a free kick.

@rufcjosh_: @FA_PGMOL apology now !

@PokerMillers: This is why women should not commentate on men’s game . HE CLEARLY WINS THE BALL , The follow through is minimal and how is he supposed not to follow through when he wins the ball your body has to go somewhere and his studs are not up

@HodgkissBo76665: Omd 😂 how the fuck is that a red

@abs_rufc: how does a professional referee looking directly at that from a few feet away still get it so criminally wrong ffs. also “can’t argue with that” 😂 give it a rest love

@JoeIinton: 😂 Refs at it again

@Owen25__: See his touch is still the same 🤣🤣🤣

@TwatRUFC: That’s a red but it wasn’t when they took wilks down in the first half 🤣

@Catt2493: Not even a red

@LewisRhys: Rate challenge that

@mould6675: Great tackle

@BenDyson_: Reyt tackle, not even a foul

@GazzaWozza: Refs are so bad 🤣🤣 he was so sure as well!

@HarryRUFC1: Just looks headless, can clearly take a good set piece and put a good ball in but wreckless

@MJCollins97: That’s the worst red card I’ve seen.

@hyrum_rufc: Never a foul 🤣🤣

@maltbymauler: Didn’t look like one to me. You can still tackle you know

@edwardsa61: Not even a foul let alone a red card.

@__IrufcI__: 😂😂😂 it wasn’t even a foul hahaha this commentator needs shagging with a pitch fork as well horrendous

@rufc_noah: what he got ball first?

@Owen__Connell: How the fuck is that a red card, great tackle, they should be 9 men outfield not us. Can see why Evans gets so frustrated. #rufc

@The_RUFC: That is what is known in the modern day as a woke red card #RUFC

@andy_branston: Hasn’t changed, 2nd touch was always a tackle when he played for us!