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Blackpool assistant coach sent off for hitting his own player in the face

Blackpool assistant coach sent off for hitting his own player in the face

The match between relegation threatened Blackpool and promotion hopefuls Burnley proved interesting for reasons other than the football. First, Blackpool supporters forced the match to be momentarily halted early on when they threw tennis balls and oranges onto the pitch in a prearranged protest against the club's owner, Karl Oyston and the lack of investment that has put the club in danger of dropping further down the Football League after their one season in the Premier League in 2010/11.

The protest would prove to be a high-point on the day for Blackpool though, as assistant coach Bob Malcolm brought the club to a new low when he hit Stephen Dobbie, one of Blackpool's own players, in the face during an animated argument just before Dobbie entered the match in the 70th minute. Dobbie still came on despite the altercation, but Malcolm, who was ruling the touchline with an iron fist while caretaker player-manager Barry Ferguson was on the pitch, was sent to the stands by the match official.

To make a bad day inevitably worse, Blackpool went on to lose 1-0.

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Brooks Peck

is the editor of Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow on Twitter!