[ad_1]
Oxford manager Karl Robinson alleged his goalkeeper Jack Stevens received a header during a halftime raid against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
One short-tempered afternoon at Wearside, when the Black Cats won 3-1 to stay third in their quest for a place in the top two in League One, he had incidents in the tunnel at the end of both halves.
Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson also hinted that there were things he was unhappy with regarding the visitor’s camp, while Robinson suggested that the police will be involved. The exact nature of the events is unclear.
Northumbria police say they have not yet received any reports of an incident between the Sunderland and Oxford players at the Stadium of Light.
The Oxford coach said: “We have asked the police to come. Their players have seen it, our players have seen it.”
1:58
Highlights from the Sky Bet League One match between Sunderland and Oxford
“My player certainly felt it. But for some unknown reason there are no images. Ironic here, right?”
“My goalkeeper got a header at halftime, there was a massive fight there. I think there were only bags. I went into halftime, pretty calm. I was calm for much of the game.”
Johnson suggested there were more problems late in the game, and it remains to be seen what referee Trevor Kettle includes in his report.
The Sunderland boss said: “I honestly didn’t see what happened at halftime. I was in the bathroom, waiting for the guys in the locker room asking me where everyone was.
0:57
Robinson received a red card during the second half.
“It was probably a good thing because it would have been like Scrappy-Doo there. Look, it happens all the time, especially in a condensed area. It was a lot in bags.
“It also happened at the end, which is not ideal, and I think one was provoked, to be honest with you.
“As a football club, I want us to act classy, but I also want us to take care of ourselves when there are moments.”
He added: “He is [Robinson] You need to be careful. I’ll tell you. When it comes to the narrative of any plot, there are always two sides to any story. Let me tell you, there were a lot of Oxford staff who didn’t come out smelling like roses, let’s just say that. “
0:42
Sunderland boss Lee Johnson says the club does not encourage the ‘royal rumble’ scenes that happened on Friday afternoon.
Sunderland had to come back to claim maximum points after James Henry fired Oxford up front in the 21st minute.
After Lynden Gooch tied in first-half injury time, Sunderland made the most of Mark Sykes’ red card just after the time the Oxford midfielder picked up a second yellow for a tackle on Luke O’Nien.
Aiden McGeady put Sunderland in front with nine minutes to go after Max Power’s quick free-kick. Power himself added the third in stoppage time at halftime as the Black Cats held within two points of second place Peterborough.
Robinson, whose team sits four points outside the play-off zone, also received a red card for his complaints to Kettle after Sunderland’s second goal.
Sunderland’s Max Power celebrates in front of the Oxford Bank
He said: “It was a good football game, spoiled by you know who. I don’t want to say his name. The decisions have baffled me.
“We had a player down for that second goal. There was a duty of care to see if the player was injured, the man in the middle wanted to do it for him. I respect Trevor, he had it a lot.”
“I am frustrated because the players were excellent, even with 10 men. For us to come here, we did it with courage.
“This could be the motivation we need to improve ourselves and see us face them again in the play-offs.”
[ad_2]
