Of seasoned campaigner Chris Kinnears thoughts on Braintree, we need to be throughly professional and not be drawn into and bun fight on Saturday, we need to be a Damn sight cuter, we suffered on Tuesday due to bully boy tactics. Hopefully we can play these at their own game
" Iron's last match. "To say Dover Athletic boss Chris Kinnear was less than impressed with the tactics employed by Braintree Town on Tuesday night could be the understatement of the year.
Whites were held to a 0-0 draw by the Irons in a brutal game at Crabble that lacked much quality but certainly not full-blooded tackles.
Dover were no angels themselves but Danny Cowley's men came to town with a gameplan to wind up Whites to the point of boiling over, which it did when Jack Parkinson was sent off for violent conduct ten minutes from time.
The midfielder lashed out at Mike Phillips when waiting in the box for a corner to be delivered by Nicky Deverdics. After the half-time whistle, Duane Ofori-Acheampong had to be held back by his team-mates after something more than unpleasant was said to him walking off for the break.
And Kinnear, who warned his players what to expect from a team managed by Cowley, previously with Concord Rangers, did not hold back in his assessment of how the visitors played their part. He said, 'It was always going to be [brutal]. You know as well as I do, that's what they are like and want to do. We told the lads that's how it would be. Concord were the same, these are the same, they [the management] will get everyone at you and in your face.
Every time on the sideline, they [Braintree] are up in arms, complaining about decisions. Referee this, referee that. It's football, it's a game of football and with all that rubbish from them, we don't need it'.
Kinnear, who labelled the first-half display as the worst since he returned to the club, was distinctly unimpressed with the actions of Parkinson, the second time Whites have had someone red-carded in four days following Stefan Payne's two yellow cards at Cheltenham Town on Saturday.
The boss added, 'It was stupid. He [Parkinson] knows it, he's apologised for it but it's no good apologising after, he shouldn't have done it. He wanted to get in the side, was knocking on my door saying get me in, he did, he's done well and then he goes and does that. He's committed but use that commitment winning tackles, not punching people. Why would you do that?'
Kinnear also praised Ofori-Acheampong who did restrain himself despite an initial bloodrush to the head. 'Duane did well to restrain himself in the second half as they were pretty unpleasant to him,' Kinnear said. 'Duane is such a nice bloke but I am not surprised, that's the way they do it [Braintree] so fair enough'".