SHELL-SHOCKED Burnley manager Owen Coyle is facing FOUR games without Joey Gudjonsson, after the midfielder's appeal for Saturday's sending off against Preston was overturned.

The Iceland international was given a mandatory three-match ban for being found guilty of stamping on North End striker Neil Mellor, and was handed a further one-game suspension after the Football Association deemed it a frivolous appeal'.

Coyle was adamant the 27-year-old was caught off balance in trying to step over Mellor and contact wasn't deliberate.

But after studying a dvd of the incident at an appeal yesterday, the FA disciplinary commission upheld referee Lee Mason's stoppage-time decision, leaving the Burnley boss stunned.

"We are astounded at the decision," was all that Coyle was prepared to say in the aftermath of yesterday's hearing.

Gudjonsson will now be forced to sit out Saturday's trip to Ipswich Town, home games against Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City, and the New Year's Day game at Blackpool after having his original three-match suspension extended.

A spokesman for the FA explained that members of the regulatory panel studied the incident from different angles and agreed that there wasn't a case for wrongful dismissal.

The extra ban for 'frivolous appeals' has become increasingly common, with Derby County's Craig Fagan suffering a similar fate in September, after being found guilty of stamping on Liverpool's Alvaro Arbeloa.

Coyle will also be without Chris McCann, who starts the first of a three-game ban on Saturday, following his straight red card for a lunge on Preston's Sean St Ledger.

But although the absence of the midfield duo leaves the Clarets short on numbers, with Coyle also sweating on the fitness of Alan Mahon, he is confident the players drafted in will rise to the occasion in a bid to recover from back-to-back home defeats to QPR and Preston.

And he believes his side will benefit from a clear week for the first time since his appointment almost a month ago.

"It's funny, it has been a whirlwind, but when you lose a game, it's hurtful and then you want a game straight away because you want to get it out of your system," said Coyle.

"As it is, with injuries and suspensions we've incurred, it has given us a week to look and work on things.

"We had seven games in 21 days, so that was a big ask and I've got nothing but praise for the players, they've been a credit to themselves the way they've gone about it."