Winger Lee Martin apologised to the rest of the Town squad after being sent off during last night’s 1-0 defeat to his former loan club Nottingham Forest last night. The 26-year-old was one of two Blues players to see red with defender Richard Stearman later dismissed for a second bookable offence having fouled Andy Reid.
Martin was issued his marching orders for a clash with Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury after the former Arsenal man had fouled him and told the club site: "I have to take full responsibility for the way I reacted. It shouldn’t have happened.
"The lad has come in on me and stamped on me while I’m on the floor. I pushed my arm out against him. It wasn’t malicious; it was ‘get off me’, that sort of thing. It was heat of the moment stuff.
"He made the most of it, which is disappointing, but like I said, I shouldn’t have reacted like I did.
"I’m gutted about it and apologised to the lads in the dressing room. I’ve got to sit out three games now when every game is crucial and that’s obviously a sickener.”
Martin felt he should have been awarded a spotkick earlier on in the half: "The first contact was outside but then the play carried on and they brought me down inside the box. It was a penalty.”
The midfielder will miss three games as a consequence of his third Blues red card - Fabian Wilnis, who was sent off four times with Town, is the only other Blues player to have picked up more, while Pablo Couñago, Sito and Alex Bruce have also go three - while Stearman will be banned for one game.