The FA have shown an unsurprising lack of a backbone by rejecting Saints’ appeal against the ridiculous red card shown to Jason Euell on Saturday.

The three-match ban imposed for straight red card offences will therefore remain, and Euell will miss the next three games - against Reading, Plymouth and his former club Charlton.

While video evidence seemed to clearly demonstrate that Euell’s challenge was contested equally as fiercely by Wolves’ Richard Stearman and that no Wolves player even appealed for a free-kick - let alone any sort of further punishment which would often be displayed for “straight red card” fouls - the FA have ignored this and upheld the decision.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense could see, particularly with the aid of the television highlights, that it was barely a foul, let alone a red card, but unfortunately common sense isn’t something in plentiful supply at Soho Square.

As I mentioned in my match report from the Wolves game, the FA are more than happy to bang the “Respect the Ref” drum, and yet fail to understand that sheer frustration from pure incompetence is often the reason behind a supposed lack of respect. Players don’t go into games with the intention of giving the referee a hard time - it is as a direct result of absolutely ridiculous decisions going against them that respect is lost, hence both Andrew Surman and Rudi Skacel collecting bookings for dissent on Saturday.

It’s also a sign of the FA’s priorities and ethics that they were very quick and willing to overturn the red card handed out (awarded correctly, in my opinion) to England captain John Terry after he rugby-tackled Manchester City striker Jo to the ground, and yet for a far clearer case of an incorrect decision being made, they throw it out seemingly without actually considering the case on its merits.