Joey Barton glad to have Ched Evans available for Fleetwood Town's Portsmouth test

Town’s manager was sent off for dissent by referee Brett Huxtable in the dying stages of Town’s defeat at Bristol Rovers last weekend.

The Town boss had already seen his striker Ched Evans sent off for violent conduct before he was dismissed for using foul language towards the official in the aftermath of James Clarke’s stoppage-time winner.

Barton may have had a charge come through from the FA but he said the important thing was that Evans’ red card for a tangle with Tom Lockyer was overturned.

Barton said: “I’ve had the charge through so obviously we will deal with that as a club.

“It is a little bit annoying when one of the key incidents of why you were sent off is then overturned by an independent panel which justifies your anger. We have to absorb that.

“The main thing is that Ched was available.

“It is not ideal for me but maybe it will be a different match experience from sitting and being on the bench to being in the stand.

“The main thing is about the players and the team.

“Justice was done because it was a wrong red card.

“We are past it, we got three points (by beating Doncaster Rovers) on Boxing Day and hopefully we do not have too many days like that (at Bristol) because it was not enjoyable.

“We are here to do football and you want to enjoy it.

“The last thing you want is things that should not happen, happening.

“I thought the officials (on Boxing Day) were first class.

“They got most of the decisions right which is a huge improvement from previous games.”