Soccer: Devine cited for weekend fracas

New Zealand Knights striker Sean Devine faces a disciplinary hearing in Sydney tomorrow after a fracas late in their game with the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford on Sunday night that they lost 1-0.

Devine, on the substitutes' bench after being replaced an hour into the game, was seen with his hands out, trying to pull Mariners' Dean Heffernan away from Knights' midfielder Jeremy Brockie.

"We are at a loss to understand why Devine has been cited," said Knights football manager John Adshead yesterday. "There would not have been an incident at all if [Jamie] McMaster had not retaliated to the tackle from Kris Bright. It was pretty tame stuff."

Bright and Jeremy Christie were yellow-carded for their part of the incident, joining Devine and Frank van Eijs in the referee's book. That was particularly costly for Devine and Christie, who now face a mandatory one-match stand-down.

With the pair definitely out of Friday's away clash with the Newcastle Jets and midfielder Naoki Imaya facing another lengthy period on the sideline through injury, the Knights' stocks are stretched.

Adshead will call for replacements today, with Josh Maguire, Steve Fitzsimmons, Sam Jasper (who has been brought in for the now-departed Danny Hay), Josh Rose and Xiaobin Imaya - the players not required for the Central Coast trip - in contention for a transtasman flight today or tomorrow.

"I will have a look at the make-up of the team we want to put out against the Jets and the back-up we need before deciding on who to bring over," said Adshead.

"It is disappointing this has been forced on us. They are a tight-knit bunch and we don't want to break that but there is nothing we can do about it.

"The players were understandably gutted over that late goal on Sunday. They certainly deserved better.

"Ever since we knew we were going to miss out on the playoffs we have set out to make life difficult for every team we play against. We are getting more respect. We are proving we can play and frustrate teams."

Christie and Devine have remained with the team as Adshead needs them as part of the training regime. Imaya, too, has stayed to continue treatment on his leg injury. The Japanese midfielder missed the early season while recovering from a broken leg.