RUFC - Evans On Claude's Red Card

Vital Rotherham on:

Vital Rotherham on:



Rotherham United will be without new defender Claude Davis on Saturday after he got sent-off just before half-time in the game at the New York Stadium last weekend.

But, although Manager Steve Evans must have thought the bottom had fallen out of his world, he is defending the former Crystal Palace centre-back saying he`d have done the same.

Claude was booked early on in the game for a push on Bristol Rovers` forward Ryan Brunt and although the tall Jamaican was pulled and tugged by Rovers` defenders when he went up for set-pieces referee David Webb seemed blind to that.

On forty-two minutes Claude seemed to be left a little flat-footed and as Brunt got by him in the box he nudged the striker who fell down and Rovers scored from the resultant spot-kick.

Three minutes later Dale Tonge put Davis is a terrible position and he 'took one for the team` as he upended Elliott Richards. Unfortunately he seemed to have forgotten he`d already 'took one for the team` and was shown a red card.

'I don`t blame him for the second yellow,` Evans told The Advertiser. 'The guy went by him and I would expect my centre-half to do what he`s done. He can`t step back and let Richards run in on goal. But he should never have been put in that position.`

Asked about the penalty, Evans said Davis should have defended better.

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