Broadmeadow coach Damian Zane has expressed his disappointment at defender Jordan Jackson being suspended for the club's Australia Cup round of 32 trip to Bentleigh Greens on Thursday night because of "a poor decision" from officials.
Jackson was shown a straight red card in the 73rd minute for what was deemed a last-man foul on James Virgili in the 2-1 NPL loss to Lambton Jaffas last Wednesday night at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility. Mitch Rooke scored the winner for Lambton with the ensuing free kick.
Usually a one-game ban, the suspension for Jackson became two matches because it was his second red card of the season. He was given a straight red for lashing out in retaliation in the final minutes of the 3-0 win over his former club, Weston, on June 1.
Jackson served a match of his most recent ban in the 1-0 loss to Weston on Saturday and his second game will be the 7.30pm cup clash against the Victorian NPL team at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.
Magic tried to have the red card against the Jaffas rescinded but were told by Northern NSW Football that it wasn't a clear and obvious error and therefore the decision would stand.
Zane said the club "don't think it was a foul" and even even if it was, they believed Virgili would not have got to the ball before keeper Ben McNamara.
"He's out for a challenge that's not even a foul," Zane said.
"It's disappointing that it's essentially not even for the act, it's for the accumulation, and that doesn't make sense, why it would rule him out in another competition.
"I'd understand if it was a dangerous play, and a two-week suspension for that, fair enough, but it's accumulation.
"I think they've got to have a look at that and review it because it just doesn't seem right.
"It's really disappointing that a guy misses a big cup game off a poor decision."
The loss comes after the departure of another key defender, Tom Beecham, who has returned to college in the US.
"He was fantastic - at another level to around here," Zane said of Beecham.
"He's got a great physique, he's great on the ball and he doesn't mind mixing it up.
"He's as good as some defenders at the same age who went on to play A-League."
Zane said skipper Jeremy Wilson, Jake Harris and Ryan Ensor could all fill the void at centre-back but his defence needed to lift after the Bears won with a free header at a set-piece.
"It was disappointing on the weekend," he said.
"We defend as a team and people didn't do their roles, and you can't afford to do that even in this league, so we're going to have to be really switched on."
Zane said his squad were injury-free from the Weston game and had trained well on Monday night.
