Opposition manager ‘offers out’ 21-year-old Lincoln player during radio interview

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton was left with egg on his face after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Lincoln City on Saturday, when he is believed to have aggressively offered out an Imps player for a fight – not realising he was live on the radio.

Lincoln City picked up a very important three points at the LNER Stadium on Saturday, beating fellow mid-table side Bristol Rovers 1-0 thanks to Regan Poole’s first half header.

Bristol Rovers forward Ryan Loft was shown a straight red card for an alleged elbow on Imps keeper Carl Rushworth in a pivotal first half moment, which The Gas manager Joey Barton said was a turning point in the game.

Tensions eventually boiled over after the full time whistle, and during BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s post-game interview with 21-year-old Lincoln debutant Ethan Erhahon, a stray voice could be heard in the background of the live recording.

It was Joey Barton, as the 40-year-old Rovers manager said he would “absolutely finish” the Imps player, presumably in a fight. No, seriously.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire broadcaster Michael Hortin was quick to remind Barton that he was live on air, before apologising to the listeners for any bad language they may have picked up.

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His frustrations haven’t stopped there, though. Barton has consistently posted his thoughts on the standards of EFL officiating to his Twitter account on Monday.

Barton says football should be about “quality and ability” rather than “incompetence from officials” and feels the game is being “ruined” by referees with no past playing experience.

Joey may need to regain his composure over the next 24 hours and turn his attention to Bristol Rovers’ next game, a difficult home game against promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town on Tuesday evening.

As for Mark Kennedy and Lincoln City, back-to-back victories have seen the Imps climb to 13th in the table, keeping a nine point gap between themselves and the League One relegation zone.

Next up for the Imps will be Derby County away from home on Tuesday, followed by a home game against Portsmouth on Saturday.

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