JOE MCELLIGOTT was pleased with the character his South Park side showed as they beat Whitstable Town on Saturday, despite finishing the game with nine men.
The Sparks took the lead early in the second half through Chris Smith but were dealt a blow with 25 minutes remaining when Joe Jackson, who had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes, was sent off.
Ian Pulman equalised from the spot after being brought down by Jack Stafford, which earned the centre-back a yellow.
But Park weren't finished and Kieran Lavery struck the winner deep into stoppage time before Stafford received a second yellow.
And manager McElligott was delighted to take the three points, given the circumstances.
"It showed the character of the players, especially after we lost Jack Stafford as well," he said. "From where I was, his second yellow looked like a genuine attempt to win the ball, but we got the win with nine anyway.
"The boys did really well but it's even more pleasing with the way they overcame an adverse situation."
Jackson's dismissal came after the striker had just returned from a four-game suspension and McElligott admits the timing was not great.
"I know it's a cliche, but I didn't see the incident," the Park boss said. "Joe had only been on the pitch a few minutes and the play moved on quickly so I must have been guilty of ball-watching.
"Joe is adamant that nothing really happened but the referee obviously thought otherwise.
"He hasn't played for a while and he's been patiently waiting for his suspension to finish and then he gets sent off again, so it couldn't have come at a worse time for him, really."
