Gary Johnson calls on FA to look at defeat against Mansfield

Cheltenham boss Gary Johnson has called on the FA to study the long list of controversial incidents in their dramatic late 3-2 defeat at Mansfield.

Johnson was sent to the stands for a shove on Mansfield assistant boss Paul Raynor while Cheltenham had Taylor Moore and Danny Wright sent off and Mansfield lost Hayden White to a red card as well.

Johnson slammed the behaviour of the home bench of Steve Evans and Raynor and said: “I didn’t think it was a dirty game at all.

“But unfortunately the technical area makes it a dirty game as they are screaming for everything all the time and some weaker refs get sucked in by it.

“The referees have allowed them to win the day so well done, they’ve done their job. Maybe there should be a camera on their dug-out one day?”

He added: “In my opinion the FA have got to look at that as a whole game today.

“Have you ever seen someone booked for diving in the middle of the pitch in the first five minutes of a game?

“Have you ever seen dug-out shenanigans like that?

“Paul Raynor walked towards me right in the middle of my technical area so I gave him a little shove in the tummy. He went mad and the referee came over.”

Harry Pell had put Cheltenham ahead from the spot after 24 minutes when White upended Mo Eisa only to see CJ Hamilton level from close range after 35 minutes from Alfie Potter’s low cross.

The Robins then had Moore dismissed for his 41st minute elbow in Danny Rose’s face and then had Eisa carried off injured.

White’s dismissal for lunging into Ilias Chatzitheodoridis after 68 minutes saw the visitors again go ahead six minutes later as Elijah Adebayo finished well at the near post.

But sub Kane Hemmings levelled after 81 minutes following great work by Alex MacDonald and, after Wright had been sent off for hitting Potter with seven minutes to go there was still time for Hamilton to net his second with a great rising finish four minutes into added time.

Raynor said: “I think the referee got the big decisions right and the character of the players today was magnificent.

“The referees make the decisions and it is for them to make it. Referees have got a very difficult job but the most pleasing thing is to get the three points and the character of the players.

“It was a massive three points for us today. The players are in a good place and have been for a few weeks now.

“The win shows the character of the team and the fans for the most part got behind us.

“Some fans are still making silly comments to us, we know what we are doing.

“We have been in the game for a long time and have got a lot of promotions. Some of the comments leave a sour taste in the mouth.”