BURNLEY manager Owen Coyle is hopeful of getting Joey Gudjonsson's red card overturned today.

The Icelandic midfielder was sent off deep into stoppage time for an alleged stamp on Preston striker Neil Mellor on Saturday.

But having seen the incident on television replays, Coyle has stood by his original assessment that Gudjonsson accidentally caught Mellor with his boot as he lay on the ground. And he hopes the Football Association Disciplinary Commission will concur when they meet today to hear his appeal, and decide against punishing the 27-year-old with an immediate three-match ban.

"Joey was trying to lift his foot over. There was no intention to stamp on the player and I think the television pictures show that," said Coyle.

"His trailing leg's caught the lad but it looked like he was trying to raise his foot.

"Hopefully it will be overturned. We will know at some point by the close of day today."

Although the Clarets boss decided against a bid to get Chris McCann's red card rescindeded, following his lunge at Sean St Ledger two minutes after equalising at 2-2, Coyle stressed play should have been stopped for a foul on the midfielder in the build-up to the incident.

"I'm not excusing the challenge he made, and I can see why he has been given a red card, but I thought Chris was fouled and if that had been given at the right time, he would never have had to enter that tackle," he said.

Should Gudjonsson's appeal be unsuccessful, he will join McCann on the sidelines for the next three games - the last of this calendar year.

And with Alan Mahon and Kyle Lafferty both nursing knocks which forced their early exit from Saturday's defeat to rivals Preston, Coyle could find himself with a heavily depleted midfield.