United will be without the services of Jack Armer (one-match suspension) and Alfie McCalmont (three-match suspension) for the FA Cup first-round meeting with the O’s this weekend following their respective dismissals at Cambridge at the weekend.
“We can’t appeal Jack Armer’s, that’s done, two yellows, there’s nothing we can do about that,” manager Paul Simpson explained. “I can’t actually remember what he got the first booking for but he deserved it for the second one. So we have to deal with that one.
“Alfie’s I do think was a little bit harsh but I would imagine, because his foot’s high, probably because his studs are showing, he [referee] maybe thinks it was excessive force or endangering an opponent, whatever the wording is.
“Obviously the two reds are massively costly. I think our discipline has been fairly good over the season. It’s easy to pick up yellow cards in football now but I think we’ve had a good discipline about us recently.
“I’ve got no complaints about the decisions, I thought the referee had to make them, especially Jack Armer’s second one. If anything the lad knocks it past him, and he has got pace about him, but you have to make the decision of putting your body there to block him and probably nothing would have happened.
“He allowed him across him and he starts pulling at his shirt. I can’t say it’s much of a pull but it is a pull and he has to go off. We’ve cost ourselves and it’ll cost us for another game as well.
“I feel for Alfie a little bit. I have to say it probably is a red card because of the way his foot came up but he had no idea the lad was there and he hasn’t done it intentionally. That one is a little bit harsh.”
Potentially back to bolster the Blues for the weekend will be defender Paul Huntington and midfielder Dylan McGeouch who are both back in full training.
“Dylan will be back, he’ll be back available,” he confirmed. “I think Hunts will be available because he’s trained fully with the group on Friday and then did some extra running to top him up. We’ll see what he’s like this week.
“With the red cards we’ll have to make changes. We’ve got a week to prepare for the next game and we’ll just have to see what happens and see who is available.
“We’ll then try and pick a team to go and stay in the FA Cup because that’s what we all want to do.”
