BURNLEY will decide today whether to appeal against the injury time-dismissal of Joey Gudjonsson.

The Icelandic midfielder's late sending off in the 3-2 defeat against Preston North End reduced the Clarets to nine men, following Chris McCann's earlier red card.

Burnley will stand by referee Lee Mason's decision to send off the 20-year-old, two minutes after he had equalised at 2-2 with a well-taken goal.

Manager Owen Coyle had few complaints with the Bolton official's judgement on that occassion, although noted that McCann had been fouled himself immediately before the incident.

However, the Burnley boss felt there were other key decisions that affected the outcome of his first Lancashire derby that Mason got badly wrong, notably, a failed penalty appeal in the second minute when Kyle Lafferty was denied a certain goal as defender Matt Hill turned the ball round the post with his arm.

"I'd love to talk about football and the good players and the goals that were on show, but I think you've seen it, or I certainly hope you've seen it with your own eyes, as early as the second minute it's a clear penalty," said the Burnley boss, following a second consecutive home defeat.

"The boy's actually extended his arm, and really Preston should be down to 10 men and facing a penalty after two minutes in the game.

"They were big, big decisions. Having said that we carried it on and got a good goal and I really think we could have been two or three goals in front at half-time with the game put to bed."

Lafferty went on to put Burnley in front just before the half-hour with a well-placed header, before Chris Sedgwick got Preston back on level terms on the stroke of half-time.

Neil Mellor put Alan Irvine's side ahead early in the second half, McCann equalised two minutes before his dismissal for a two-footed lunge on Sean St Ledger, but Simon Whaley dragged Preston off the bottom of the Championship with a sweet 25-yard drive.

Burnley's misery was compounded when Gudjonsson was dismissed deep into stoppage time for allegedly stamping on Neil Mellor.

"The nature of the Championship, as we know, there are quality sides and nobody's going to give you an easy time, and Preston came back into it just a minute before half-time," continued Coyle.

"That's something we need to look at. We've lost some soft goals that we need to eradicate that from our play, because we do know that we'll create opportunities and we'll score goals.

"As it was we then go behind again, it was a simple header through and our backline has conceded a soft goal. But again the effort and the enthusiasm and the fight they carried, and Chris McCann scores a terrific goal to equalise, and then you think you're in the ascendancy and you're going to go on and win the game.

"I felt very comfortable at 2-2 to take the game on, and then we've ended the game with nine men.

"There was a foul committed and there was a free kick to Preston. I felt that Joey had his back to where the lad was and he's tried to step over him, and the referee's deemed that he's stamped on him. He's never stamped on him in a hundred years.

"I can certainly see why (McCann) has been sent off for that. Having said that, prior to that he's been fouled himself and he's then off balance, so if the referee sees that and gives a foul at the right point then that challenge never ever takes place."

He added: "Refereeing's a difficult task. Trying to do it in training, those things are really hard things to (assess).

"Going back to the second minute, it was that obvious I thought I heard Stevie Wonder shouting in the stands behind that it was a penalty.

"Everybody could see it and for anybody to think it wasn't ... well there we go.

"I know the referee - I played with his younger brother at Bolton, Andy Mason.

"I spoke to him before the game when he came in and introduced himself and we had a chat.

"I said to him there, I know how difficult a task it is, and I don't really want to be talking about referees.

"But those are major decisions in the game.

"They're pivotal moments, and that as early as the first minute ... but it's not happened so there's no point wallowing in it now."