Pre-season can often be a tame affair with nothing riding on the games and players just looking to get their fitness up and avoid injury. However, it appears nobody told the Sheffield Wednesday or Mansfield players last night during their meeting at Field Mill.
With the game petering out and Mansfield leading the game 2-1, Wednesday forward Fernando Forestieri put in a late challenge on a Stags midfielder which sparked the controversy. Players steamed in from both sides and began pushing each other, outraged at the tackle that was made by the Italian.
Things did not calm down from there as both benches then stormed onto the field to protect their players, whilst antagonising the opposition. The tackle had sparked such a melee that stewards were needed on the field to seperate the two sides from getting at each other.
Mansfield manager David Flitcroft made an immediate substitution to try and diffuse the situation before the referee brought the game to a halt before the situation escalated further.
This 2-1 win marks an impressive run of pre-season results for the Stags who have beaten Derby 3-1, drawn with Sheffield United 0-0 and now beaten another Championship outfit in Sheffield Wednesday on their own patch.
Goals from Malvind Benning and an own goal by Adam Reach, who then scored at the right end for the Owls was enough to secure the victory which sees Mansfield head into the new League Two season full of confidence.
The game was marred by this huge brawl which you can see for yourself below.
