Notts County's dreams of reaching League One were left in tatters after they were beaten by AFC Wimbledon, with their star player Alassana Jatta adding insult to injury.
The Magpies suffered a 1-0 defeat at Meadow Lane in the first leg of their semi-final tie on Saturday night, and to make matters worse, their top scorer was sent off in a controversial manner.
Controversial Sending Off
Riley Harbottle's goal was the difference between the two sides, giving the Dons a slender advantage going into next weekend's crucial match. But County will have to do without Jatta, who has scored 22 goals in all competitions this season.
As the hosts pushed for a late equaliser, the Gambian international lunged in two-footed on Alistair Smith in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Although he won the ball, referee Thomas Kirk had no hesitation in awarding the free-kick and brandishing a red card.
Jatta was furious with the decision, and so was manager Stuart Maynard, who could be seen angrily protesting to the fourth official.
Tempers Flare
The sending off sparked a confrontation between both sets of players in the middle of the pitch, with tensions threatening to boil over. Jatta then escalated the situation by pushing Dons winger Josh Neufville in the face.
As players tried to usher him off the pitch, Jatta walked back to confront Smith, appearing to flick him as he lay injured on the ground. Unsurprisingly, Meadow Lane erupted in boos aimed at the officials, with the volume increasing as they made their way to the tunnel after the final whistle.
Even County's official X account raged at the decision, posting: "Jatta has the shirt ripped off his back before winning the ball with a lunging challenge – but is shown a straight red card."
Manager's Reaction
Maynard shared this view in his post-match interview with BBC Radio Nottingham, insisting his side should have had a free-kick prior to the tackle. He said: "Everyone's seen the performance of the officials. It happened so fast, there was a shirt pull around the neck and makes him lunge. I need to watch it back and we'll make a decision and a call [to appeal]."
Despite the setback, Maynard remains optimistic that his side can secure their place at Wembley as they bid to return to League One for the first time since the 2014/15 season. The 44-year-old commented: "I thought we performed to an unbelievable level. We kept getting into those areas and we have to take that positivity into the second leg and I believe we can go through. But we have to make sure we put in that level of performance if we're to go to Wembley. I'm confident, I don't think you've seen a team open them up as we have done tonight."
