Darren Wrack incensed by red card

Stafford Rangers midfielder Darren Wrack has been absolved of blame by manager Tim Flowers for his red card during his first game in charge.

The team had to play for 68 minutes with 10 men after Wrack's sending off, for what was perceived to be a deliberate elbow on Gloucester striker Mike Symons.

Symons had put his side ahead with five minutes gone with Ollie Barnes adding a second with two minutes left as Flowers' men went down 2-0.

Rangers' biggest crowd of the season, 599, were incensed with the sending off, with Wrack now facing a three-game ban.

The 34-year-old will now miss league games against Hinckley and Vauxhall Motors, plus a Staffordshire Senior cup tie at Market Drayton.

And the former Walsall campaigner is protesting his innocence, insisting he has never been a dirty player and will never be.

But Wrack has been assured that his red card has not blotted his copybook with the new management team.

He said: "It was very harsh, anybody who knows me will tell you I wouldn't deliberately elbow anybody.

"The lad going down like a sack of potatoes holding his face didn't help, nor did his team-mate telling the referee it was deliberate.

"Tim Flowers supported me, he doesn't think it was a sending off and our assistant boss Matt Elliott thought I was going to get a yellow card.

"I have found as I have come down the leagues that the standard of refereeing isn't the greatest, with people who don't understand the game trying to make a name for themselves.

"It's disappointing, we wanted to get the manager off to a good start but full credit to the lads, who put a great shift in with 10 men."

Under Blue Square North rules, Wrack can still play in Saturday's game at Solihull Moors but is banned for the following three games.

The scheduled match the following Saturday at home to Eastwood is likely to be rearranged, with the match at Vauxhall Motors moved back a week to Tuesday November 16.