from dangerhere.com:
It was an eventful weekend for Carlisle United, specifically for the Irish members of the Cumbrian’s party, as the Third Division team emerged from their game against Lincoln City on Saturday amid red cards, touchline spats and allegations of racial abuse, and with their new chairman John Courtenay likely to face a disrepute charge from the FA.
Trouble flared as Carlisle beat the Imps 1-0, Trevor Molloy converting a 65th minute penalty to give the Cumbrians their second away win of the season to lift the team to an early seventh place in the Third Division table - nosebleed territory for a club recently more often associated with the bottom end of the table. The match saw four players sent off - former Republic of Ireland Under-21 striker Richie Foran was first to go after a touch of handbags with Lincoln’s Simon Weaver, who also saw red. Despite travelling from Shelbourne with a bad-boy reputation, it was Foran’s first red since joining England’s northernmost team last season.
Next to go was Brian Shelley, for violent conduct. A bad day for the former Bohs defender, although his week brightened up when he later received a call up to the Republic’s Under-21 squad to play Finland in Helsinki. Goal hero Molloy became the third Irishman to walk when he went in stoppage time for using foul and abusive language toward the day’s referee, Paul Robinson.
Roddy Collins spoke afterwards of Robinson’s poor performance, and intimated that the reason for the three dismissals may have been more to do with nationality than on-the-pitch misdemeanours, “As for the referee,” said Collins, “he was an absolute disgrace. I hope that was not an anti-Irish thing because that would be very sad.” Last season, Foran was booked by a referee who Foran afterwards accused of calling him an “Irish clown”. Collins also branded Lincoln City "disgrace" and accused their supporters of subjecting his Irish players to a torrent of racist abuse.
Events off the pitch threaten now to overshadow Carlisle’s efforts on it, however. Lincoln chairman Rob Bradley intends to report the cumbrian’s new chairman John Courtenay to the FA for causing "mischief". Sitting in Lincoln’s directors' box, Courtenay and Foran apparently celebrated the Imps’ fluffed attempt at an injury-time equaliser, and the Irish businessman and his player had to be escorted from the box. Courtenay contends that a Sincil Bank steward then threatened to punch him and Foran, provoking a melee that ended with the trio toppling over an advertising hoarding by the players' tunnel.
"They treated John despicably," said Collins, who only returned to Cumbria in the summer after Michael Knighton - infamous for his part in trying to buy Manchester United from Martin Edwards, and for his repeated attempts to sell Carlisle - sold the club to Courtenay. "[He] went to give Richie a bit of protection and they started on him - it was unbelievable - and the racial abuse we received from a section of the crowd was not nice. It doesn't bother me, but it is not nice for the young kids.
”Courtenay, who is gaining a reputation as one of the Third Division’s more colourful chairmen - he was ejected from a Carlisle bar after the recent home defeat to Hartlepool after accusing staff there of not serving him quickly enough - described the incident as a “storm in a teacup”, but it remains to be seen what disciplinary action, if any, will be brought against the chairman and his club. Nonetheless, regardless of the rollercoaster ride the Blues are experiencing off the pitch, they are enjoying a great start to what could be an eventful season under Collins’ and Courtenay’s stewardship.
