Rare 'Double Red Card' Shown As Two Players Sent Off For Same Tackle During Gillingham Vs Fleetwood

There were shocking scenes in the Gillingham vs Fleetwood game today as TWO players were sent off in the SAME tackle.

In the 78th minute, Gillingham's Charlie Kelman and Fleetwood's Paddy Lane went flying into a 50-50 challenge. The ball was there to be one but both players recklessly jumped in two-footed and were not in control.

And in a rare sighting, the referee felt the actions of both players warranted a red card and promptly sent the pair off.

Lane came off worse in the tackle and had to receive treatment from the medical staff.

He was then taken off on a stretcher and the delay led to ten minutes of stoppage time being signalled at the end of the 90 minutes.

Still, it wasn't enough time for either side to grab a goal as the League One clash at Priestfield ended goalless.

Two players being sent off in the same tackle really does not happen much at all but Newcastle fans will be remember that two of their players were dismissed for fighting one another in 2005.

Teammates Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer came to blows during a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa at St James' Park.

Steven Taylor had already been sent off earlier on in the game for a deliberate handball inside the area, meaning Newcastle ended the game with eight men. Both Dyer and Bowyer received bans and were fined by their club.

Speaking afterwards, manager Graeme Souness said: "It's a first for me. I have never witnessed that before. Harsh words between players occur in every game, but it's very unusual for it to lead to what happened today.

"'There are always arguments on the training pitch when players stand up to each other, but that's as far as it goes. This is something completely new to me."