Warnock dismayed by Bamba’s aggressive attitude

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Neil Warnock said he will read the riot act to Sol Bamba after the defender was sent off for angrily confronting the fourth official – and his own manager – in Cardiff’s 1-1 draw at Ipswich.

Bamba reacted badly to a late tackle by Jonathan Douglas before jabbing his finger in the direction of fourth official Charles Breakspear before physically brushing off Warnock’s attempts at acting the peacemaker.

The centre-back was shown a red card with 20 minutes left to play but Ipswich were unable to capitalise on the numerical advantage after Aron Gunnarsson and Luke Varney had swapped goals prior to the sending off.Warnock said: “I think Douglas has been clever – he has left his studs on the ankle. If the referee had just blown for a foul, it would have stopped all the hassle.

“But he tried to give advantage, which we didn’t want, and it erupts. I have no complaints about the red card. It is disappointing that we lose one of our best players for three matches.

“I didn’t really want to talk to Sol after the game so I will see him tomorrow. He just lost his rag but it was an aggressive attitude and I don’t condone Sol’s behaviour.

“He is distraught in the dressing room and quite rightly. For me, he is one of the best in the Championship and that was a blemish I haven’t seen in his make-up.

“But I think it actually revitalised us and we had some good chances to win the game late on.”

Gunnarsson had twice gone close in the first half – firing a volley against the woodwork and then bringing out the best in Bartosz Bialkowski – before the midfielder fired Cardiff in the lead, reacting quickest after the Ipswich keeper dropped Peter Whittingham’s corner.

David McGoldrick went close for the hosts before they levelled in the 52nd minute when Tom Lawrence and Adam Webster combined and Varney’s deflected strike found the corner of the net.

Bamba’s moment of madness could have cost his team with Cardiff playing the last 20 minutes with 10 men, but it was them, rather than Ipswich, who looked most like claiming all three points with Sean Morrison, Bruno Manga and Craig Noone going close in the dying minutes.

Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy believed the sending off actually hit his team more than Cardiff.

He said: “I am disappointed we didn’t create more chances after the sending off. The game was going nowhere and the sending off probably affected us more than them.

“Cardiff then sat back and it was difficult to play through them. I think the fear of actually losing against 10 men can get into players’ heads and Cardiff are no mugs, by any stretch of the imagination.”

And of the sending off, which saw Bamba rage just yards from McCarthy, the Ipswich manager added: “I have seen players lose it, and I have lost it myself, but never on the fourth official.

“It probably was a foul but you can’t condone what he did – he thoroughly deserved to be sent off.”