McDermott thinks Roberts red card was ‘accident’

Reading manager Brian McDermott feels that Jason Roberts’ red card against Crystal Palace was a ‘complete accident’.

The 34-year old was shown a straight red card after he was adjudged to have elbowed Jonathan Parr in the face after chasing down a loose ball. Referee Andy D’Urso took the decision to send off the forward just before half time, which left Roberts and the whole Madejski Stadium shocked by the decision. The red card was also the first a Reading player has suffered in 62 games.

Speaking to the official RFC site, McDermott said: ‘I’ve spoken to Andy D’Urso and I’m sure once he sees it he’ll realise it’s a complete and utter accident and the card will be hopefully be rescinded. Fair play to the referee, he said he’s definitely going to look at it. And it was an honest mistake – nothing more than that, that’s how it is sometimes.’

‘I saw it at half time and I’ve seen it seven or eight times since. And this is Jason Roberts you’re talking about – there’s no way he’d ever do anything like that deliberately. He’s running for the ball, and if you’re running you have to have your arms out. I’ve never run yet with my arms down by my side. And he’s looking at the ball all along.’

If the card is not rescinded by the Football League, then McDermott is likely to reward Adam Le Fondre with a start against Birmingham after his good cameo performances in recent games. It would also mean that Roberts will miss the first two games of the Premiership season in August.