Radio Suffolk has blamed 'confusion' on the pitch after it's commentators failed to spot a sending-off during Ipswich Town's match against Birmingham.

IT'S not been a good week for the Radio Suffolk sports department.

After last Tuesday's embarrassing incident when a phone-in caller swore at presenter Mark Matthews, on Saturday commentators Brenner Wooley and Bryan Knights both missed one of the crucial elements of Town's game against Birmingham City.

They reported on the Tractor Boys' second goal, but somehow missed the fact that Birmingham defender Bruno N'Gotty had been sent off for lashing out at Town hero Alan Lee.

The departure was spotted by commentators for Sky tv, but even they weren't certain why until they saw an action replay of the mêlée.

But Messrs Wooley and Knights were oblivious to the fact that Birmingham were down to ten men and it was only after several minutes and the intervention of Mark Matthews in the studio who said it was being reported that N'Gotty had been sent off that they counted the home players.

Brenner told The Evening Star that there was a lot of confusion following the goal.

He said: “It was very frenetic out there and Birmingham certainly stepped up a gear after that goal - they didn't look like a team who were one man down. But then you often find that when a team has had a player sent off.

“And there were lots of people around us who didn't realise N'Gotty had gone, it is just they weren't broadcasting live at the time.

“I know there was some confusion among the ITV team for several minutes.”

The action happened at the end near the players' tunnel so N'Gotty didn't have too long a walk back to the dressing room and by that time the attention of most people was focussed on Town's goal celebrations.

Star photographer Warren Page may have captured the incident - but even he was left confused.

He told me: “It was a confusing 20 seconds. I was trying to capture the Town celebrations and it wasn't clear who had scored the Town goal - whether it was Lee or Simon Walton.

“I saw N'Gotty leave the pitch but didn't know why immediately. It was only after I was going through my pictures and saw the replay that I realised I may have captured it.”