Aston Villa to appeal against Chris Herd's red card

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.