DAVE Bassett explained that it was a "professional decision" to pull off Robbie Savage after the Welsh international had been involved in the two incidents that saw referee Mike Riley brandishing red cards to Paul Warhurst and Dean Holdsworth.

"I haven't seen a video yet of what happened, you're just in the hands of the referee on things like that.

"The stadium was volatile, plus the atmosphere and the emotion, Savage had been involved in the two players being sent off and obviously I felt it was in his own interests and probably professionally correct to take him off.

"That was so he wasn't the centre of attention because he would probably have ended up getting himself sent off if he made a challenge of any sort. The crowd would have been baying for him to be sent off so professionaly it was correct for me to take him off."

And to counter any feelings that his player may have been feigning injury after the tackles, Bassett added: "He was down on the floor and his Niagaras are pretty bruised at the moment, so something's hit them."