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AN FA CUP match was interrupted by a large brawl after a manager pushed his head into an opposition player’s face.
Oldham were drawing at home to League One outfit Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup first round on Sunday evening when chaos broke out on the sideline.
Home manager Micky Mellon was involved in an altercation in his technical area with Wednesday midfielder Callum Slattery in the 84th minute of the contest.
Replays show the former Burnley and Blackpool midfielder grabbing Slattery by the back of the neck and pulling him closer to his face.
The confrontation escalated even further when Mellon then pushed his head into Slattery’s face and knocked him over.
Visiting defender Max Lowe stepped in to defend his team-mate, pushing Mellon away from the downed man.
Oldham midfielder Oli Hammond arrived and ended up in a shoving match with both Wednesday players while trying to de-escalate the situation.
A number of other players and coaches then rushed over to get involved in the growing melee.
It took almost a minute for the scenes to calm down, at which point referee Martin Woods showed Mellon a straight red card.
The manager was forced to walk up into the stands to watch the rest of the match.
Sunday 8 November
Saturday 7 November
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The Cup clash finished 1-1 in regular time, sending the tie to extra-time in Oldham.
And it was Mellon’s men who made the late breakthrough, as Will Sutton turned home a 110th-minute finish to take the lead with minutes left in the match.
Wednesday, who sit 33 places above the League Two side in the football pyramid, threw everything they had at an equaliser.
But the hosts held on to book their spot in the next round, even if they may be without Mellon on the sidelines while he serves his suspension.