Larne star set to miss Coleraine clash after unsuccessful appeal over red card
Larne midfielder Chris Gallagher is set to serve a three-match suspension after an appeal of his red card received against Crusaders last weekend was unsuccessful.
The Inver Reds had questioned a straight red given to Gallagher in the second half of Saturday’s 3-0 win at Seaview for a challenge on winger Elliott Dunlop.
Larne appealed the decision but the News Letter understands it was dismissed on Thursday afternoon meaning Gallagher will miss Friday’s Premiership showdown with Coleraine alongside league fixtures against Linfield and Bangor this month.
Gallagher has played a key role throughout a golden period of success for Larne, and while manager Gary Haveron admits his absence will be a blow, he has backed his squad to handle it.
"Cricky's outstanding, absolutely outstanding for us,” said Haveron in his post-match interview on Saturday. “He's been absolutely instrumental in the success we've had at the football club since he's came to it.
"He's a miss of course, but we've got enough strength and depth within our squad...not one person makes or breaks our team, our squad, but he is a very, very valuable member of our group.”
Giving his reaction to Gallagher’s red card on Saturday, Haveron said: “They play the ball up, and it's gone out of play, I'm standing directly in line, I can see when the ball crosses the line.
"It then comes in and Cricky will take a booking, he wants to kill the momentum, Dunlop is fast.
"We watched it back, it's not a dangerous one, he hasn’t led with studs, he's not hurt the lad, he's got no intent.
"He's took him out, but it's not the referee that sends him off and that's the disappointing thing.
"He’s going to give a yellow card, but it's the fourth official standing here that actually sends him off and he's just told me that he sent him off.
"That's bitterly disappointing that he's making a call when the referee's seen it clear as anybody, but he's making a decision for him – who's refereeing the game? Ultimately decisions fall on the referee to make.
"He's changed your mind and what was the reason for changing your mind? He didn't lead with studs, didn't hit him high...if anything, Cricky's actually caught him with his shin, not his boot, so that's a shin on shin.
"We see this every game in the Premier League, somebody will take a booking to kill the momentum of an attack, that's all it was.
"It wasn't a malicious tackle, it wasn't a hurtful tackle, the lad jumped up afterwards and played on.
"Maybe it's a reaction of the opposition, the bench comes over to this side of the pitch to remonstrate about sending him off, that doesn't help.
"But I think it's a poor decision and when you watch it back, I hope they agree on that, and we'll look at it in what we do with it moving forward.”