As it was, Joel Hodgson's 77th-minute penalty trimmed the gap to two points but Newcastle were denied a dramatic comeback when penalised at a scrum late on by the referee, Tom Foley, much to Richards's annoyance.
In a late siege on Telford's goal, Ashton was again twice denied a dramatic equaliser, first by a brilliant, point-blank save from Chris MacKenzie, and then, cruelly, two minutes from time, by a post.
In a frantic final siege on Telford's goal, Ashton was twice more denied a dramatic equaliser, first by a point-blank save by Chris MacKenzie and then cruelly by the post.
Sporting won the opening game of the last-16 tie 1-0 land week and Mancini's team followed Manchester United out of the tournament when the City goalkeeper Joe Hart was denied a dramatic tie-winning goal as his injury-time header was tipped past a post by Rui Patrício.
Steven Fletcher was only fit enough for a place on the bench and, while he came on to squeeze in an added-time consolation and was denied a dramatic equaliser by the Reading keeper Ali al-Habsi, the die had already been cast.
The Robins continued to press and were only denied a dramatic late leveller when Smithies dived at full stretch to keep out McManus's effort.
While the press and public may have been denied a dramatic raise-your-right-hand moment in Congress this week, Facebook's chief executive is still under legal obligation to tell the truth.
England were denied a dramatic win on day five of the final Ashes Test at The Oval when the umpires took the players off the field for bad light.
Yet I can't deny the dramatic ferocity of the images, the aliveness of the people in them and the righteous indignation of the artist.
Though traditionalists were unnerved by its musical language, they could not deny its dramatic power, and the uncompromising opus was performed 150 times across Europe in the next decade, a remarkable record for a contemporary work.
