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Stamford manager and Spalding player sent off BEFORE kick off with game delayed

Stamford manager Graham Drury and Spalding United player Gregg Smith got sent off BEFORE kick off with the game getting delayed.

The two sides went head to head in Tuesday night’s Northern Premier League Midlands Division encounter, but it all came to blows before it even got started.

According to Stamford Mercury, the duo are both set to appeal their red cards after being dismissed before the game at the Sir Halley Stewart ground.

An altercation in the tunnel between the pair took place as the teams were coming out, with both dismissed from the field of play.

Drury was forced to watch the match from the stands while Smith’s place in the Spalding starting line-up was taken by substitute Jordan Macleod as his sending off occurred before the game had begun. Yep, it seems you can still put out an 11-sided team if a player gets sent off pre-kick off.

Gregg Smith used to play for Stamford under Drury’s management and, with they are both known to being close friends, and now the Stamford boss feels that neither should have been sent off.

He also insisted his actions were not part of the game-plan to rule the Spalding captain out of the match which Spalding won 3-2 following two dramatic injury-time goals.

Drury explained: “I really wasn’t winding Gregg up to make that happen because I would have preferred to have been in the dug-out and him play.

“I would rather have had Gregg play than Jordan Macleod and that is 100 per cent true.

“I certainly wasn’t doing it to get him sent off. Gregg and I have been mates for years – I gave him his first opportunity in football.

“He was apologetic afterwards because he was highly strung for the game. There was nothing in it and we shouldn’t have been sent off.

“We are both going to appeal it and we will go together. We have grown up with each other, known each other for years and there was nothing in it.”

Spalding manager Gabriel Zakuani also confirmed that his side will be appealing Smith’s sending off which forced his side to change their game-plan.

Zakuani said: “It was unfortunate that we ended up with a red card and I will be appealing it.

“There would have been no excuses about it from me even if we had lost the game though and I wouldn’t have blamed it as a reason if we had been beaten.

“It did mess up our game-plan a little bit because Gregg is a big player for us because, when the ball goes up to him, it sticks.

“We lost that physicality up there but we found a way to grind games out and, teams that are going to do well in this league, are going to have to find ways to win games.

“Teams will always try and get in your head but I don’t really watch the noise because, whatever we’re doing at the moment, seems to be working.”

Fans reacted after seeing that the Stamford manager and Spalding player were sent off BEFORE kick off with the game delayed…

@Steven60671149: Stamford is a joke they were winding gregg up at warm up

@langy87: Wow will cost him fa cup game now 😔😔😔😔😔

@JCurrall: Can’t help but think Gresh knew exactly what he was doing and Gregg took the bite. Obvs maybe completely wrong but Gregg a huge threat against any team and Gresh knows this. For me it’s planned…..

@AndySha93792440: Gregory triggered?

@scottgardner77: How were Spalding allowed to start the game with 11 men after a player in the starting line up gets sent off before the game? Is that in the laws that the ref can let them replace him? Surely that’s not allowed and they have to play with 10?🤷🏼‍♂️

@NonLeague16: Apparently it is , who knew 🤷🏼‍♂️

@bozola900: Can’t believe it; Gregg is a pussycat…

@PaulDonegan1980: Cannot remember ever seeing before that there have been sending offs before the match has even started!

@mrtfc: Well this is a new one…

@LegalCheek_Tom: ‘Into them from the whistle! Or before it — whatever you prefer, really.’

@thumpermaxie: Interesting start before the actual start.😂😂😂

@AdKempy: Sorry what???

@FreemanMatt: Before kick off 😂

@Scoots_n_Boots: You’ve got to love a little non league local derby…..

@carlralley: Has anyone ever been sent off before a game begins? Not sure I have even heard of that before.

@TrailOfDebt: Sent off before the game’s even started. God I love non-league.

@nickreinis: Player sent off BEFORE the start of a game!

@GoodingReece: Good old Gregg 😂

@BennoBatcave: Oh how brave of Gregg Smith to pick on the gaffer, try finding someone you’re own size. Fits in well at Spalding I see.

@lincsbirder2019: Nice and friendly local derby then I see

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