Astonishing moment manager HEADBUTTS opposition player and is sent off, sparking mass brawl as FA Cup first round clash descends into chaos
Oldham boss Micky Mellon was sent off for headbutting Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Callum Slattery as their FA Cup first round clash descended into a mass brawl at Boundary Park.
League Two Oldham pulled off a shock over their League One opponents, but the result was overshadowed by the altercation which occurred six minutes from the end of normal time.
The former Blackpool and Burnley midfielder appeared to grab Slattery by the back of the neck and pulled him closer to his face, before pushing his head into the rival player’s face and knocking him over.
The touchline soon descended into chaos with players and staff from both teams grappling with each other in a farcical melee.
Eventually the two warring sides were separated giving referee Martin Woods the opportunity to approach Mellon and present him with a thoroughly deserved red card.
Oldham, now with their manager in the stands, played on and incredibly nicked a 110th minute winner through Will Sutton.
Oldham manager Micky Mellon was sent off for an astonishing headbutt on Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Callum Slattery
The scene soon descended into chaos as both players and staff from both sides entered the melee
Eventually Mellon was shown a red card and will serve a three match touchline ban
Wednesday piled on the pressure in the final minutes desperately trying to find an equaliser but to no avail as Oldham held on and advanced into the next round.
Mellon, however, will now have to serve a three-match touchline ban meaning he will miss his side’s next appearance in this year’s FA Cup.
Calum Kavanagh had put Oldham ahead in the 66th minute with a fierce drive after Mike Fondop headed on Noah Chilvers’ right-wing cross – his sixth goal of the season.
Wednesday equalised ten minutes later through former Oldham forward Davis Keillor-Dunn.
Elsewhere in the FA Cup on Sunday, seventh-tier Wimborne Town stunned League Two Crawley 2-0 to reach the second round for the first time in their history.
The Dorset part-timers of the Southern League Premier Division South took the lead through Yang Seung-woo’s stunning strike after nine minutes, with Cameron Munn deflecting in Jackson King’s shot 11 minutes from time to seal the upset.
Stockport survived a scare to beat Cray Wanderers of the Isthmian League Premier Division 3-2.
The League One high-flyers were facing a shock exit when they fell two goals behind in the first half, a situation not helped by a red card for goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond for a foul outside the box.
From the free-kick, defender Alex Hernandez found the top corner to make it 2-0, but Stockport staged a late fightback, Kyle Wootton and, in added time, Mikael Mandron scoring to take the tie to extra time before Lewis Fiorini’s penalty won it.
Eighth-tier Stafford Rangers also led EFL opposition 2-0 before bowing out, Grimsby finding themselves facing an embarrassing exit against a team four divisions lower before hitting back to make it 3-3 after extra time, eventually going through on penalties.
