The flashpoint came late in the game and saw Offord sent off for a second time this season

MK Dons boss Paul Warne felt both sides joining in the scrap prompted officials to send Luke Offord off late on against Salford City on Saturday.

Offord was shown a straight red card after kicking the ball at Ammies substitute Fabio Borini after a free-kick had been awarded, sparking a brawl from nearly every outfield player on the field.

While Ryan Graydon and Jack Sanders went head-to-head, and Salford winger Ros Longelo appeared to have his hands in the face of Dons skipper Alex Gilbey during the ruck, only Offord was heavily punished, shown a straight red card by referee Thomas Parsons, leaving the visitors to chase the game with ten men for the remaining four minutes.

Offord had been toeing a line for several weeks before his second red card of the season. Carrying nine bookings from the middle of February, he went seven games without any ill-discipline before the count reset last week.

Speaking immediately afterwards, Warne, who had not seen any replays of the incident yet, said the ruckus only added fuel to the fire to what was, in his opinion, a silly booking.

“The whole panto of football drives me insane, at times,” he said. “Twenty people getting involved, no-one’s going to do anything, it just makes the incident seem more serious. Six players from the red pile in, six in grey then go into defend their team-mates, and it’s over nothing really.

“He didn’t two foot him, it wasn’t dangerous, he booted the ball from about two inches. I don’t think it would have hurt the lad in any way, but he shouldn’t have given the ref the opportunity to do it. I’m not trying to defend the indefensible.

“At the time, I thought it would be a yellow. I spoke to the referee after the game to try to clarify it, and asked him if he really thought it was a red - obviously he did because that’s what he gave. (Offord) wasn’t far away from the player when he hit it, but and it was more to do with the reaction of everyone else.”