Lincoln City head coach Chris Cohen has revealed that Tom Hamer and Conor McGrandles have apologised following their dismissals against West Ham United.
Hamer was sent off after just three minutes for a late challenge on Joël Veltman, before McGrandles followed in the 23rd minute after bringing down Jarrod Bowen as he went through on goal. The two incidents left City facing most of the evening with nine men, with the visitors eventually running out 6-0 winners.
Speaking the following morning, Chris confirmed that both players had already apologised for their part in a difficult night. However, he was equally clear that their contributions to City’s success would not be forgotten because of what happened against the Hammers.
“Both players have come in and apologised already this morning. But Tom and Conor have had monster roles to play in our success over the last few years, and one mistake or one misplaced bit of judgement isn’t going to define either of those two. They’re incredible professionals and incredible people.”
There was no attempt to dispute either dismissal, with Chris agreeing with Tom Shaw’s assessment immediately after the game. Having reviewed the incidents, he accepted that both were justified.
“I think both red cards were deserved, watching them back. Maybe 15 or 20 years ago, Tom’s might not have been a red card, but it is a red card.
“Obviously, Conor has a decision to make when Bowen’s going through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and instinct probably made him pull him back. There’s not one part of us saying they’re not red cards.”
City had responded well to the first dismissal, competing with ten men and drawing considerable backing from the home support. The second left us with a much harder task, although West Ham still had to wait until just before half-time for Konstantinos Mavropanos to break the deadlock.
Tom had praised the remaining players for continuing to work, block shots and compete despite the circumstances, and Chris’s message was similarly supportive. Just as the supporters had backed the team during a difficult evening, he stressed that the coaching staff would stand behind two players who had made costly mistakes.
“As we’ve just said about the fans backing us when we needed them, we’ll always be there for our players when they need us. They’re obviously going to have a spell out, but it was one lack of judgement from both of them that we’re not going to vilify too much.”
The dismissals now leave City preparing for Millwall with both players facing a spell out, adding to the challenge of responding to Wednesday’s defeat.
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