Morecambe boss: Red card was crucial in weekend defeat

The Shrimps were beaten 3-1 in a game where Gnahoua was shown a straight red card by referee James Oldham following an aerial collision with Stanley’s Mitch Clark.

It left the manager fuming, both with the officials and the reaction of the Stanley players.

“The sending off changes the game,” Adams said.

“It changes the flow of the game, it changes the aspect of the game where we come 11 against 10, and that becomes extremely difficult in any league that you’re in.

“Arthur does lead with his arm but it is not endangering his opponent enough to get a red card.

“A yellow card would have been sufficient. It was the linesman who made the decision, saying there was excessive force but it didn’t look that way to me.

“What hasn’t helped is the Accrington players running to the referee and protesting in the manner they did.

“I didn’t think there was much in the game. Even 11 against 10, I don’t think there was much over the piece.

“When we got back to 1-1, it looked like we became the stronger team but then there was a soft foul given on the edge of the box and they made it 2-1.

“Do I think we deserved to lose the game? No, because if it was 11 against 11, I think we would have had enough over the 90 minutes to get something from the game.”