BOSS Ian Robinson was left "absolutely gobsmacked" after a Linnets supporter joined him in the dugout to offer her opinions on where his team were going wrong.

Linnets, who fought out a 3-3 draw with Walton Casuals in Ryman League Division One, were losing 3-2 when an angry supporter decided she'd had enough and simply had to share her views on the game with the manager.

Robinson said: "I've never known anything like it - I was absolutely gobsmacked.

"She was a supporter who just decided to come and sit on the bench and tell me what we were doing wrong. I have no idea who she was.

"I was polite, although I wasn't really listening to her. If Jimmy Sheppard or Dave Taviner had been there, they may not have been quite so polite.

"But I just don't need people telling me how I should be running the team.

"I'm getting stick from a few of the supporters who like to have a moan, there are a few more important things going on in my personal life and I can just do without it.

"This is a leisure activity for me, I don't make any money out of it, and when it stops being fun, you have to wonder what you do it for."

After taking his men out on a team-bonding session at a Chinese restaurant in the week, the unusual move appeared to have paid off for Robinson as a late first-half blitz saw Kevin James and James Stokoe fire Linnets into a 2-0 lead at the break.

But Walton, who are also newcomers to Ryman Division One this season, hit back as Craig Carley, Greg Ball and Antony Gale put them 3-2 up with 18 minutes left.

Robinson said: "Our night out seemed to work for the first 45 minutes. We were in control and then we got punished for some slack defending.

"Then they had their tails up and it was hard to get it back from there."

But with four minutes left, substitute Richard Gregory rescued a point for Linnets as he was on hand to finish off some fine work from Danny Woods and James.

Robinson said: "It was a bit of a roller-coaster. We had it in the bag, tossed it away and managed to nick a point at the end."

The affable Linnets manager, in the wake of his run-in with a fan, also revealed he is feeling "under pressure" over the club's current run of indifferent results.

He said: "I do feel under pressure at the moment.

"Nothing has been said to me and I'm sure if John Mills (Linnets chairman) had something to say, he would say it.

"I know this club has a history of winning but I always knew this would be a season of transition.

"We're playing at a higher standard of football now and maybe some people were expecting a bit too much.

"We have a lot of new players and they need time to settle in."

Linnets: Watson, Carter, Powell, Lang, P Smith, T Smith (C Smith, 55), Woods, James, Mulhern (Clothier, 55), Stokoe, Hogan (Gregory, 75). Unused subs: Hookway, Hussey.

Do you know or are you the mystery supporter who joined Ian Robinson in the Linnets dugout? Contact the Daily Echo sportsdesk on 01202 411272 or 01202 411241.