Herd wins red card appeal

Aston Villa’s Chris Herd has successfully appealed a three-match suspension for his dismissal in Saturday’s derby loss to West Brom.

Herd was issued a straight red card in the first half of the match for allegedly stamping on West Brom’s Jonas Olsson, although replays suggested the decision was harsh and Olsson himself made no initial complaints.

The 22-year-old Australian was set to serve a three-match ban as a result, but after his club appealed for wrongful dismissal to the FA, their claims have been upheld and the suspension overturned.

“I’m very happy with the decision and I feel vindicated because I was convinced all along I had done nothing wrong,” Herd told the Villa’s official website.

“My foot was being held by a West Brom player and I was just trying to free it from his grasp. I’m grateful and glad that the appeal committee reached the right decision.”

While the news will be well received by Villa fans, it is likely to do little to appease manager Alex McLeish, who saw his side beaten 2-1 by their local rivals after playing most of the match with ten men.

Darren Bent had given the home side the lead from the penalty spot, but West Brom began to look the more threatening after Herd’s dismissal, even though captain Chris Brunt missed the penalty resulting from incident.

Olsson nodded in the equaliser from a Brunt corner, before Paul Scharner fired home the winner in the second half, giving the Baggies their first league win at Villa Park since 1979.