Wigan Athletic 'borderline cheated' - Doncaster Rovers chief

Gary McSheffrey accused Wigan Athletic of 'borderline cheating' for using towels to dry the match ball before taking throw-ins during their 2-1 victory at Doncaster.
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According to the Rovers boss, Latics brought with them half a dozen towels which they placed in tactical positions around the pitch to aid their arm-powered restarts.

That led to a comical sequence of events in the second half, when McSheffrey sent a member of the Rovers youth team to retrieve one of the towels, which led to a ticking off from referee Alan Young.

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Latics coach James Beattie returned the towel to its rightful spot, only for a Rovers fan to race pitchside to confiscate the offending item.

That led to the head of stadium security being summoned in a bid to restore order.

But McSheffrey came close to losing his rag in the post-match press conference, where he denied Rovers had given Latics permission to make use of the drying garments during the game.

“Apparently it was agreed in the referee’s room when we exchanged team-sheets before the game that both teams can use towels, which Wigan brought themselves,” he said.

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“Wigan brought half a dozen towels and they plopped them around the ground.

“Frank Sinclair did the teamsheet exchange and not once was it mentioned that both teams can use towels for long throw-ins but both teams can use them.

“I don’t want to use towels. Why would I want to use them? A throw in is a throw in.

“I wasn’t aware of it until the referee ran over and said we had agreed to it. No we haven’t.

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“I don’t want to use it because we don’t have anyone with a long throw so why would I want a towel?

“Wigan have come into our dressing room because they haven’t got enough towels to shower now.

"They spotted about six towels around the stadium. We’ve just lent them a few towels to get a shower. That’s a joke by the way.

“As an away team, to bring your own towels and spot them around the stadium, and the opposite manager not have a clue about it, I just think it’s borderline cheating.

“They’re a good team and they don’t need to do it.

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“They obviously use every ounce of game management and every bit of edge they can to try to get promoted. And they’re up there for a reason."

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