Sunderland will accept some of the FA charges stemming from Tunnelgate clash with Oxford United - but Lee Johnson hopes that the club will escape with a 'slap on the wrist'.
The Black Cats and Oxford were this week charged by the FA following confrontations in the tunnel at half-time and full-time when the clubs met at the Stadium of Light on April 2.
Sunderland assistant head coach Jamie McAllister and U's boss Karl Robinson have been charged with a breach of Rule E3, 'improper and/or violent conduct'.
Robinson's charge relates to his behaviour at full-time, while McAllister has been charged over events at half-time.
In addition, both clubs were charged with a breach of Rule E20, 'failing to ensure that their players and/or club officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour in or around the tunnel area at half-time and full-time of the fixture'.
McAllister, Robinson, and the clubs have until the end of today to respond to the charges.
The expectation is that both clubs will be fined, while McAllister and Robinson could be fined and may also be hit with touchline bans.
Johnson said of the charges: "We'll be accepting some of them.
"There are definitely mitigating circumstances and factors that we will put forward when we put our case over.
"The guys at the football club have been fantastic, they have gone through it really thoroughly, and put together CCTV footage.
"They're working for us but have tried to look at it impartially.
"It's not something that I have been massively involved in, but I know that Kristjaan [Speakman, Sunderland's sporting director] and Ray [Murphy, club secretary] and the guys over at Black Cat House have been working on this.
"Hopefully we will come out of it with a slap on the wrist, which is probably what we deserve.
"At most it was a slight overreaction to a particular incident.
"The players were outstanding in all of it, so I will be disappointed if anything happens to us as a club."
Robinson was also sent to the stands by referee Trevor Kettle for his reaction to Sunderland's second goal in the 3-1 win, and he has already served a one-match touchline ban and been fined £1,000 after accepting an FA charge for 'using abusive and/or insulting language' towards the official.
