SWINDON Town manager David Flitcroft insisted there was nothing nasty about the second-half fracas that saw his number two Ben Futcher and Stevenage manager Darren Sarll sent from the touchline during Saturday’s FA Cup clash.

A late lunging challenge from Stevenage full-back Joe Martin on Paul Mullin sent the Town forward crashing into the home dugout at the Lamex Stadium.

The remaining outfield players immediately descended on the technical areas, with the management teams from either side also getting up close and personal in the commotion.

After defusing the situation, referee Nicholas Kinseley brandished a yellow card towards Martin before returning to the touchline to send Sarll and Futcher to the stands.

Flitcroft explained that the Town staff encroached into the Stevenage technical area to check on the welfare of the stricken Mullin and added that there was nothing severe about the apparent hostilities between the camps.

“In the fracas, call it what you want, I was concerned about Paul Mullin,” said Flitcroft.

“The challenge on him threw him into the concrete steps and he looked in a bad way. I couldn’t get into the technical area to see if he was okay, then the players were trying to get everyone else away from it.

“The referee came over and wanted to send me off but the fourth official had just said he wanted to send Ben and Darryl off, so they got confused with that one.

“It was a case of us trying to get into a technical area, not because we’d scored or they’d scored, but because there were mitigating circumstances – I wanted to see if Paul was okay.

“The tackle was bad and the way he twisted and fell on the steps, it just needed some intervention to make sure we tried to get everyone away but obviously everyone got involved.

“It probably looked bad from the stand but it wasn’t a case of us cajoling them, it was a case of getting in there to make sure Paul was okay.”

A big talking point ahead of the match was the fact that Flitcroft opted to recall goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux to the starting line-up for the first time since September 30.

The Town number one started October with a four-match suspension and was then unable to dislodge Reice Charles-Cook from between the sticks for the subsequent eight games.

After a lengthy absence from the side, Flitcroft felt a strong run of outings on the training field meant Vigouroux warranted his recall.

“He had a really good training week,” said Flitcroft.

“We wanted to try to switch the ball and switch the play through him at times and I wanted the precision of his work.

“Lawrence has come in and it was a really difficult decision to let Reice know. Reice understood it and we have got two keepers fighting it out for one position.”