Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has confirmed that he will lodge an appeal against the red card issued to Chris Herd on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Aussie midfielder was sent off by referee Phil Dowd after a tangle with West Brom's Jonas Olsson inside the area, an incident which left McLeish "baffled" and "disappointed". The Baggies then went on to score two goals to win the game 2-1.

Asked if he would challenge the decision, McLeish replied: "Absolutely. We don't think there's any doubt about it. Looking at all the pictures again, Chris has done nothing wrong, it's a poor decision on the day by the official.

"These things are not deliberate; he's made an honest mistake. I just think it's a shame he's guessed the decision rather than seeing anything."

Aston Villa's next league encounter is a trip to Sunderland on Saturday.

Written by
Neil Wilkes