Alex Bruce and Paul Raynor were sent off over an altercation on the touchline towards the end of Bristol Rovers’ 1-0 win against Rotherham.
Bristol Rovers remain top of the League Two table, making it four league wins in a row, and a 10th successive home win, with Tommy Leigh getting the only goal of the game on Saturday.
Rovers assistant head coach Paul Raynor and Millers head coach Alex Bruce were shown red cards on the 92nd minute, with Rotherham hitting the crossbar in injury time. Rovers boss Steve Evans smiled as he was shown a yellow.
Start of the conflict #rufc pic.twitter.com/bXnQGTBTBi
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Steve smiling recieving a yellow 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/FexU1nruiX
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The commentator can be heard saying: “They’ve got two minutes. Steve Evans stopping [Sonny] Aljofree from getting hold of the ball here. There’s a bit of fisticuffs going on as well in the technical area.”
Rotherham Advertiser reporter Paul Davis (@paulm_davis) tweeted: “Alex Bruce and Paul Raynor sent off after a touchline altercation.
“Head coach sent off.
“Alex Bruce gave Paul Raynor a real push – knocked him back a couple of yards.
“Completely out of character so something had really provoked him.”
Rotherham’s assistant Steve Agnew said: “Well, obviously we’re disappointed because uh you know, we we knew Bristol Rovers away there. They’ve had a great start, top of the league before the game. So, we knew it was going to be a really really difficult game, you know, they’re a direct team. They’re a physical team and they do they do it well. So, we had to stand up to that battle and I thought for large the large majority of the game we did that, we made a mistake for the goal where you know we our back line just came into midfield and we left slots for them to get in behind and they they punished us.
“But apart from that you know I thought uh you know there wasn’t a lot in the game. I thought we hoofed and puffed. Probably didn’t have enough quality with the ball. Sloppy passing at times, but then the lads kept going. spirit and determination with the new group that have come together and really worked for each other and it was just, you know, the the chance at the end they hit the bar. We just felt that that was something that if that had gone in that the boys would have deserved.
Interviewer: Well, it’s it’s been the knack, hasn’t it, for the last week or so of scoring late goals and Fábio Tavares very nearly got yourselves an equaliser.
Agnew: “Yeah, absolutely. And that was a message that, you know, when we send the subs on, we do feel that okay, you got to be bit more direct, put the opposition under pressure, but we did it well and just felt that yeah a chance is going to drop and and ultimately when it does can you know can you take that chance and unfortunately for us it was maybe an inch too high otherwise we would have been going going home quite happy.”
Interviewer: “Was the timing of the goal frustrating you know just past the half hour mark you’d almost seen out that early wave of of inevitable pressure coming here top of the league but to concede when you did was that a real hammer blow.”
Agnew: “Yeah. Well, I mean, there’s never a good time to concede a goal, but I just thought that, yeah, we tried to play and we controlled possession without being a real threat. I think Josh Austerfield got in and and cut one back across the goal, which was a good bit of play, but we didn’t have enough of that, and consequently, you’re right, they’ve we’ve made a mistake in the back line. They’ve got him down our left hand side and yeah, disappointing concede on that 30th minute.
Interviewer: “Was the message at half time then about staying in the game for as long as you could as well and giving yourselves that platform to try and get an equaliser?”
Agnew: “Yeah, I think the manager said to the players, you know, sometimes it’s the players, they have a feeling that, you know, can we go and win the game second half and that’s what the players felt. That’s what us as a coaching staff, the manager felt that we could go on and win the game, but we never really had enough quality to create enough chances, it was, you know, misplaced passes and and they’re okay. They’re top of the league, but they never really caused us many problems. I think we were the victim of our own mistakes, losing possession, breaking on us, maybe having a chance, a few corners coming in. But I have to say the lads stood up to set players well. They competed well with the aerial battle and second balls. So yeah, we’re going to take the positives, aren’t we? Because a tough start to the season, new group of players would it have been good if we could have come to Bristol Rovers and gone away with a point or even a victory? Yeah, of course it would. Leads us into Salford, but they’re a resilient bunch, they’ve got a real tight togetherness and we’ll be ready for Salford next weekend.”
Interviewer: “Was that the one thing that you and the the manager were sort of discussing the fact it was those little passes that were just going astray when you started to almost build some momentum. It was almost like the air was then taken out of the balloon by a 5 yard pass that went…
Agnew: “Absolutely. That was exactly that, we’ll review the game and look back at it and we’ve been guilty of that in in previous games, but cost us today, so yeah, disappointing that uh that we’ve conceded and and we go home with a defeat, but the one thing that we have to take out of it is a new group of players, a real spirit, a real togetherness. And they’re all hurt in there. They’re all disappointed. They’re all angry. They’re all annoyed. So yeah um lick our wounds and back in on Monday to go again.”
Interviewer: “Suppose it’s another learning curve for this young group of players isn’t it to try and overcome and go again. It is and and I think with young players they will make mistakes uh and we have to accept that. How quick can they learn and that’s the conversation we’ve had after after the game in there and they’re all nodding their heads. They’re all as I said bitterly disappointed we’ve lost the game. But yeah, I think in future any games that turn into a battle and turn into a scrap and a fight, which they will in League Two, we’ll just have to remember Bristol Rovers and how we dealt with it and the passion and the energy that they showed towards the end of the game. And I’m sure that will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season.”
Interviewer: “Of course, you’re standing here because Alex was shown that the red card an almighty melee, wasn’t it, at the end. Any sort of idea as to what sort of spark that?”
Agnew: “Yeah, listen, we want the ball in quick. They’re trying to stop the ball. We we’ve all been there. and they’re running the clock down. So, I fully understand what’s gone off where Alex has tried to get the ball and and their boys he’s kicked it out of his hand. So, if somebody kicked you on the hand quite violently, what would you do, you know? So, it’s disappointing and I know you’ve got to kind of restrain yourself, but I think it’s just the qualities that Alex has that, you know, he wants to win and and his team over the course of the season will reflect that. We’ll see that and I think you know the the traveling fans there they were you know they were with us all the way to the end and um you know the the fact that we’ve hit the bar and probably thought oh that would send everybody home happy long trip down to Bristol um and probably you know a point that we deserved but it wasn’t to be Alex is disappointed he’ll reflect we’ll have a chat about it and maybe next time we’ll have to calm it down. I was at the other side of the dugout, unfortunately.”
