SCUNTHORPE United boss Paul Hurst believes Newport County defender Ryan Inniss should have been sent off in the first half of Saturday’s League Two clash at Glanford Park.

Innis was shown a yellow card five minutes before half-time following a foul on Scunthorpe’s John McAtee – but Hurst reckons the challenge warranted a sterner punishment.

Referee Scott Oldham did brandish a red card with 15 minutes of the game left when he dismissed the Iron’s Lee Novak after an incident off the ball.

County’s Padraig Amond scored the winner just seconds later as the visitors came from behind to win their first league fixture since October 19.

Abo Eisa had fired the hosts into the lead on 38 minutes, only for Newport substitute Jamille Matt to equalise a few minutes before Novak’s dismissal.

Hurst also feels Michael Flynn’s men used “game management” to hold on to their lead after Amond’s strike.

Speaking to Scunthorpe’s official website, he said: “It was a poor game. It was a tough day for different reasons. In the second half they certainly put us under pressure.

“We felt we stood up to that really well in the first half, albeit in different conditions.

“The sending off happened and I’m not convinced about that at all.

“We then conceded pretty much straight away, which made it extremely difficult for us.

“They then used ‘game management’ and that’s where you need the referee to intervene, and I don’t think he had his best day.

“He missed a blatant red card for a tackle from Ryan Inniss on John McAtee in the first half, with a straight leg around John’s knee, and we’re very lucky that he didn’t get seriously hurt from it.”

He added: “Overall, we didn’t do enough, even at the start of the second half, in terms of trying to get out and make it more difficult, retaining the ball more.

“They just kept pumping it back in, and we didn’t get high enough up the pitch either to try and help solve that problem.”

Talking about the Novak dismissal, he said: “We’ll have to look at it certainly.

“Novs does move his arm, I’m not denying that, but I don’t think there’s any real contact.

“He’s actually getting fouled and that’s why he turns and reacts a little, but to be a red card, I’m struggling with.”