Lincoln City assistant manager Grant Brown believes that his players have had their cards marked by referees following their poor disciplinary record this season.
The Imps had captain Alan Power dismissed a few weeks ago in a crushing defeat away at Chester, and Brown thinks it’s been an unwarranted theme this year.
“Some of our bookings and sending-offs have been very harsh,” he said.
“In games where teams have done similar sorts of things, they’ve got away without being cautioned.”
The red card was Power’s second and the club’s 10th of the season and Brown is worried that his players’ have become ‘marked’ by officials.
When asked about the issue, Brown said: “As a club, I think we are.”
“I think Alan’s tackle was born out of frustration but it was no worse than some of the tackles we’ve had against us.”
Lincoln were due to travel to Torquay on Tuesday evening, but with that match postponed, Power may make his return on Saturday against Woking.
Despite being critical of refereeing decisions, Brown was keen to stress the importance of his players’ being careful on the pitch.
“We want the players to be competitive but they have to be selective in their tackles as well,” he said.
Brown admitted that Power’s return to the team can only be good news for the whole club.
“He’s our captain and he drives us on so it’s great to have him back.”
“Before the sending off, Alan had got a couple of goals and he was turning into the complete midfielder,” he said.
By Liam Ray
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