Manager Paul Cox has confirmed that the club will not be appealing against the red card that striker Matt Green received at Ebbsfleet United last Saturday.
The prolific marksman was dismissed midway through the first half by referee Chris Knowles, following an off-the-ball clash with Ebbsfleet skipper Paul Lorraine.
Green, who has received a three-match suspension for his dismissal, will now be unavailable for selection until our clash with Hereford United in a fortnight’s time.
Cox said: “The actual deadline to appeal by was last night, but we have spoken about it and decided we are not going to appeal.”
Paul Cox is speaking to Mansfield 103.2's Jason Harrison from this morning's press meeting from One Call Stadium.
Paul Cox is speaking to Mansfield 103.2's Jason Harrison from this morning's press meeting from One Call Stadium.
“Having seen the footage of the incident on the match DVD, it seemed like two lads just pulling each other to the ground and nothing much else.
“But with the finance involved and the risk of an extra game being added on top of his suspension if it was unsuccessful, we decided not to appeal.
“There were a few things in the referee’s report that I didn’t agree with, but we’ve got to close the door and move on from last Saturday now.”
Speaking at his weekly press conference, our boss also revealed that midfielder Gary Roberts is set for a spell on the sidelines.
The mercurial playmaker suffered an ankle injury during a training session earlier this week, but has yet to undergo a scan on the injury.
Cox continued: “Robbo was in training and went down on his ankle with no-one near him.”
“It doesn’t look to be broken, but we’ve got to wait for the swelling to go down before he can have a CT scan. I think he’ll probably be out of action for about a month.”
Braintree Town arrive at One Call Stadium on the back of a narrow loss at Macclesfield Town last weekend.
The Irons had led through a spot-kick from Bradley Quinton, before a strike from John Paul Kissock and a late penalty from Matthew Barnes-homer condemned Alan Devonshire’s team to defeat.
“It’ll be another tough game,” admitted Cox.
“I’ve been to see Braintree a couple of times already this season and they’re a really good side. Alan’s done a terrific job there and they’ll make it very difficult for us.
“One thing I have said all along is that it’ll be a close league this year. No-one has a divine right to win football matches at any level.”
Following Saturday’s home clash, we hit the road for back-to-back away games at AFC Telford United and current table-toppers Macclesfield Town.
