Monday 22 August 2011 14:10, UK
Manager Martin Allen has defended Notts County's disciplinary record after his side's numerous bookings thus far.
The Magpies have already racked up 20 bookings and one red card in their first five games of the season. Club captain Neal Bishop was sent off for two bookable offences during the 2-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday and is now suspended for the trip to Preston, while defender Alan Sheehan is walking a disciplinary tightrope having been booked four times. Jeff Hughes, Krystian Pearce, Ricky Ravenhill and Alan Judge have all been booked twice, so County are at risk of being badly hit by suspensions. Allen told the Nottingham Post: "We have a strong discipline on and off the field. We don't want them getting yellow cards or being sent off, we want them on the pitch. But I haven't agreed with all of the referees' decisions. "We've got to be competitive so there's a fine line, there is a balance. I will be looking at it, of course, because we are always looking at areas we can improve. But I think our players have been fantastic on the whole."
