STEVE Duncan's red card at Grantham on Tuesday was his third in his last 22 matches.

However, Evesham United manager Dave Busst was quick to defend the midfielder who was also dismissed in the play-off final against Bromsgrove last May and in the FA Cup tie at Tiverton in September.

Tuesday's sending off and the one in Devon were for similar offences - alleged stamping, while the red against Rovers occurred after he was confronted by half-a-dozen opposing players and he just shoved a couple of them away!

"If Steve was intentionally stamping on players then he would be kicked out of the club," Busst revealed. "But, that wasn't the case on either occasion and the latest red card wasn't even worthy of a yellow."

Duncan, like Lee Knight who was also sent off in midweek to add to his nine cautions, is likely to miss next month's matches at Gloucester and Bedford and at home to Cheshunt.

Leon Blake, meanwhile, sits out tomorrow's trip to Mangotsfield and that will mean a swift recall for Gavin O'Toole, who was suspended for the Grantham game.

The latter is one of the three other players sent for an early bath this term. Neil O'Sullivan saw red in the FA Cup replay against Tiverton, while goalkeeper Dave Adey was dismissed at Banbury.

Top scorer Richard Ball collected his eighth booking of the season after scoring twice in last Saturday's draw at Aylesbury and two more cautions will see him sit out two more matches after missing last month's match against Banbury with a one-match ban.

To add to the catalogue of disciplinary strife, Matty Lewis collected four cautions in his six games for the club.

Previous matches against Mangotsfield have also brought Evesham problems. Adey was stretchered off at Cossham Street 12 months ago, while Wesley Joyce was red-carded when the sides met at Common Road last season.