Ross Draper’s appeal against his dismissal at Barnet has been turned down by the disciplinary board.

The three-game ban hasn’t been extended, as can happen when clubs try to overturn red cards, but the midfielder, a kep component of Gary Simpson’s team, will be unable to play in Saturday’s FA Cup game at Chelmsford City.

Draper, 23, will also be ineligible for the League Two clashes against Gillingham and Shrewsbury.

The suspension could barely have come at a worse time for Simpson, who said: "They’ve not extended the ban but they have upheld the referee’s decision.

"I don’t know why, when you watch the replays there’s certainly a decent case for Drapes being the one fouled.

"He’s very disappointed, especially now they’ve upheld it. Everyone has their own opinions but there are stills that I’ve seen where he got the ball first, and the Barnet players surrounding the ref didn’t help."

The pushing and shoving after the Draper challenge with Michael Hector could well have contributed to Draper’s early exit, and Simpson added: "It didn’t help in any way. We’ve drummed into our players the importance of not getting involved in more disciplinary matters.

"The only one booked in the aftermath of it was their number two (Danny Senda) so I have to applaud my players for keeping their cool in that situation."