ANDY Whing says experiencing a straight red card for the first time will not have an impact on the way he plays.

The midfielder returned for Oxford United in the 2-0 win against Northampton Town last weekend following a three-game ban and will be an important player in their game at Accrington Stanley tomorrow.

Perhaps surprisingly for such a combative player, the dismissal for a lunge against Chesterfield last month is the only time he has been sent off for a straight red.

Whing’s other two dismissals came at Brighton, for two bookable offences.

The 29-year-old, who thought the challenge against Chesterfield was only worthy of a yellow card, mis-timed a tackle early on last weekend.

Apart from a quiet reminder from referee Darren Deadman, Whing insists the recent suspension will do nothing to change his outlook.

“I had a tackle in the first five minutes against Northampton and the ref mentioned something about it being my first game back after a ban,” he said.

“I thought I’d better be careful then, but after that it never enters your mind.

“You never go into tackles wanting to hurt a player, you obviously think the ball is there to be won and you’re fair with your challenges.

“It’s never really on my mind, I will just keep playing as normal.”

An overall disciplinary record of 64 cautions in more than 360 appearances is good for a player whose game is based around winning the ball.

And Whing is not worried about getting a reputation among officials, who he enjoys talking to during games.

“A lot of refs talk to you and are good as gold,” he said. “Tackling is part of the English game.

“The Premier League is probably a bit different where it's highlighted a lot more, but we love playing hard and fair.”