He took exception to what appeared to opposing coach O’Connor apparently impeding his attempt to gather the ball for a quick throw-in.
Napier City Rovers centre forward Jacob Fenton was shown two cards, including his second yellow and, thus, the red. Photo / Kerry Marshall / Photosport
Fenton shoved O’Connor aside, sparking intervention by nearby team officials, players from both sides, some running from halfway across the field, and the match officials.
Robertson, who was in front of his team’s own bench when he was shown what appeared to be the last of the cards, said he had no idea why that card had been issued.
“I asked the referee why my centre forward [Fenton] had been yellow-carded,” he said. “I didn’t receive an explanation. I was just shown a yellow card.”
“I’m waiting to see the referee’s match report to see how many cards there were and what they were for,” he said.
The match was always expected to be tense, with Miramar having beaten Rovers both home and away during the Central League earlier in the season – the only two defeats on Napier’s way to winning the title for the first time since 2018.
In fine weather, with Miramar kicking off, Napier’s Sam Lack set the game alight when he floated the ball across with a right-footed strike from near the in-field left corner of the box to score with less than 20 seconds of the ball in play.
Miramar equalised in the 17th minute with a goal to Theo Ettema, who had scored in the 96th minute of his side’s 3-2 Central League win over Napier on the same ground on August 23.
Hit by three key absences – Central League MVP Callum Cooke sitting out a suspension, team MVP winner Liam Schofield injured and top goalscorer Ben Stanley away – Robertson said he was pleased with the result.
“Miramar are obviously a very strong side,” he said. “It was a reasonable result and good to get a point to start the championship.”
Both sides had qualified from the Central League for the 11-team September-December National Football League and their result was the third draw in the first three matches competed.
On Saturday, Auckland United, who host Rovers in Auckland next Sunday, had a 1-1 away draw with the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the opening games and Ferrymead Bays (Christchurch) and Eastern Suburbs (Auckland) had a scoreless draw.
On Sunday, Wellington Olympic had a 3-2 away win over Auckland FC Reserves and Southern League champions Cashmere Technical had a 4-0 away win over Auckland North Shore side Birkenhead United.
Requests for comment have been sent by Hawke’s Bay Today to Miramar Rangers and New Zealand Football.
Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter, based in Napier. He has had a journalism career of 53 years, including more than four decades covering news and sports events and issues in Hawke’s Bay.