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Speaking ahead of this weekend’s clash at Millwall, Warnock described as a “major blow” the decision by the Football Association to reject United’s appeal against the red card shown to Pearce during Saturday’s loss to Watford.

Centre-back Pearce will lose his ever-present record when he begins a three-game suspension on Sunday having seen his dismissal upheld by an FA regulatory commission on Tuesday afternoon.

A frustrated Warnock said: “To me it sums up everything that’s wrong with officials in football.

“The referee was going to book him and I’ve no doubt at all that the tackle deserved a yellow card. But his linesmen have told him to send Jason off. The referee’s right on top of the tackle, they’re miles away but they make the decision.

HUDDERSFIELD Town chairman Dean Hoyle looked ahead to Saturday’s home Championship clash with Brighton and said: “They’ve set an example for us to follow.”

Town will always have a place in Albion’s history after being the last side to visit the Withdean Stadium the season before last.

Hoyle told the Huddersfield Daily Examiner: “I’m really looking forward to the match.

“It’s not long since were playing each other in League I, and now both of us are up in the Championship and competing well.

Read more at www.examiner.co.uk.

Bradford City look like putting out a skeletal team this weekend, after manager Phil Parkinson revealed his already depleted squad suffered a further three injuries during Tuesday’s FA Cup win over Northampton Town.

Zavon Hines, Stephen Darby and James Meredith’s injuries could leave City without a single recognised senior winger or full-back for this weekend’s clash with Exeter City. With regular centre-back pairing Luke Oliver and Andrew Davies both injured long-term, as well as Garry Thomson’s recent struggles with a virus, Parkinson’s “quality-over-quantity” policy looks like it will be stretched to the limit in the hectic run-up to Christmas, unless he can get in reinforcements before next Thursday’s emergency loan deadline.

He said: “This time of the season is going to be really important and me and the chairman will have a chat about the situation. Once we get into January, there are fewer midweek games in the league compared to the early part of the season, which has been a really heavy schedule.

“A lot of managers have picked up injuries to their sides, but we have had more games than the majority of teams.

“This is the period of the season which is so important for us now. But we will get through it and I will make sure we have got a team who, come Saturday, are ready to go again.”