DORCHESTER Town boss Callum Brooks admitted he harboured “concern” after Winchester City goalkeeper Ryan Pryce escaped a red card in the Magpies’ 5-3 pre-season friendly win at the Clayson Stadium.

City were leading 3-2 when skipper Jamie Barron tripped Dorchester winger Antonio Diaz who reacted furiously to an alleged flailing arm, sparking a near 22-man brawl.

Pryce, however, sprinted 40 yards, appeared to throw punches at Diaz and was only shown yellow by the referee following a lengthy consultation with the linesman on the near touchline where the incident occurred.

Speaking to Echosport, Brooks expressed his disappointment with the way the incident was handled.

He said: “I’ve seen the foul back on Diaz. That can happen at any time and that’s what the officials are there for.

“As soon as you react, you run the risk of getting yourself in trouble.

“If we don’t react, possibly their lad gets a yellow – if it’s a league game, possibly a red – and looking at the way the officials dealt with it I’m not sure what they’d give. There was no pattern to it.

“Diaz did react poorly and we’ve spoken about it. Both teams lose a number and the game then becomes a little bit messy on both sides.”

Elaborating on Pryce’s involvement, Brooks added: “I’ve got no issues with the red cards. What I have got concern over is the way (the officials) missed Winchester’s goalkeeper.

“I’ve got not issue with Winchester’s level of aggression. You expect teams to be competitive and I wish them to go on and have a successful season.

“What you’ve seen in (Pryce), and I have watched it back, is he runs 40-odd yards to become involved. He’s six-foot plus and he’s wearing bright green.

“Then (the officials) have a chat and eventually after some persuasion they call the goalkeeper in for a chat.

“Then they issue a yellow card. If you punch someone, it’s a red card. If you haven’t seen it, then you don’t give anything. If you have seen it, it has to be a red.”

Brooks did not hide his frustration at the incident, adding: “I did say to the referee I’m worried about it being on video for the linesman, because for me it’s the equivalent of driving down the wrong side of the road – it’s black and white.

“I know we’re short, and I’ve got nothing but respect for the people that do it, but I thought the linesman was very, very wrong.”