Charlie Adam apologises for 'letting Stoke City down' with red card

Stoke City midfielder Charlie Adam has apologised for picking up a red card in the 2-1 defeat to Everton, admitting that he "let the squad down".

The Scotland international was dismissed for a studs-up challenge on Wayne Rooney at a snowy bet365 Stadium, leaving his side down to 10 men for an hour of the contest.

Adam concedes that the dismissal, which came with the score still locked at 0-0, cost his side a chance to take all three points from what was labelled a must-win game prior to kickoff.

"I've let the team down and I've let the squad down," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror. "I was surprised it was a red card. I thought he was going to pull out yellow. The ­conditions weren't great and Wayne's got there before me. You've got to take the ­conditions into account but he is happy with the decision he's made.

"I went to see Wayne to see if he thought it was a bad tackle. He said, 'Not ­really'. I've been in to see the referee and he's still happy with his decision. It's part and parcel of being a footballer isn't it? You have ups and you have downs. When you're down, you're down."

Stoke, who welcomed a record crowd of over 30,000 to the bet365 Stadium, are three points from safety with seven games left to play.