Oxford United will appeal against Carl Pettefer's red card which rules the midfielder out of a dream FA Cup tie against his old club Southend at the weekend.

o Pettefer was sent off just before half-time in United's 2-0 victory at Kidderminster on Saturday which brought new boss Darren Patterson his first win in the Blue Square Premier.

Referee Oli Langford brandished a straight red card ater Pettefer lunged to win a 50-50 ball against Harriers' Michael McGrath.

It meant that, for the second game running, the U's had had a player dismissed.

But just as last week, when Rob Duffy was ordered off against Ebbsfleet, the United camp were convinced the official was simply trying to "even things up".

Staffordshire ref Langford had sent off Kidderminster striker Jason Constable only 12 minutes earlier for what appeared to be an elbow into the side of United's teenage right back James Clarke.

Patterson, unbeaten in his three games in charge, branded the Pettefer decision "a disgrace".

He said: "We will appeal, without a shadow of a doubt.

"I think Constable did make contact with the lad, it was right in front of the referee and he sent him off.

"Then they should have had a definite penalty, which we got away with, so he got that one wrong, and our sending-off was a disgrace. It wasn't even a booking.

"The boy's gone through, he hasn't even shown his studs and if he hadn't made the tackle I'd have hoiked him off because we want our midfielders compet- itive.

"It was a proper full-on challenge, and at that stage we felt he was trying to even it up. I think the crowd got to him and he lost it."

If the appeal fails, Pettefer faces a three-match ban, starting with this Saturday's FA Cup second-round clash against his old club.

"It's a crying shame for him, but hopefully the appeal will be upheld," said the U's boss.

Victory, secured by goals from new loan strikers Matt Green and Ashley Barnes, lifted Oxford to 11th in the table, eight points off the play-off positions.

And Patto admitted last week had been a tough one, trying to bring in the right players.

"We worked very hard on the phone all week," he said.

"It's been a side of management that I've not really experienced - getting players in.

"I've learned a great deal and I'm very pleased we managed to get the two lads."