Blackpool red card appeal process set out ahead of Bradford City test
Blackpool were defeated 5-1 by Port Vale in their first outing of 2026 - but a red card for James Husband was one of the main talking points.
Blackpool’s appeal process against James Husband’s red card in the 5-1 defeat to Port Vale will take place today.
The visitors had taken the lead at Vale Park through Tom Bloxham after 26 minutes, but the direction of the game altered following the dismissal of the Seasiders club captain in first half stoppage time.
After the match, head coach Ian Evatt came out to criticise the decision to send off Husband, insisting the challenge didn’t merit the punishment and questioned whether it was even a foul.
Blackpool have already shared their intention to appeal, and will submit their case before 1pm. The evidence will then be viewed during the afternoon, with a verdict expected to come either this evening (Friday 2) or Saturday morning.
There’s a confidence the Seasiders will be successful, which would allow Husband to be part of Sunday’s League One meeting with Bradford City on Bloomfield Road.
Evatt’s thoughts after Port Vale
Following the defeat to Port Vale on New Year’s Day, Evatt outlined several decisions that he believed went against his side.
“Obviously I need to be very careful in what I say, but one thing I’m not prepared to do is criticise my players,” he said.
“I think we could’ve managed the second half better, but the schedule we’ve had and the small squad we’ve got, the group are at their max, so going down to 10 here was the worst thing that could’ve happened to us physically.
“There’s three or four huge decisions that the referee got wrong. Danny Imray was fouled just before the sending off - it’s a clear foul.
“I don’t think the red card is a foul even, at the very most it can be a yellow card, it’s never a red in a million years. We’re in complete control, and we were managing the game, but that completely changed it.
“In the second half we came out and tried to contain them. We conceded a set play which was poor from our point of view, but the second goal was a clear foul which you see given all of the time, and the third one is clearly handball.
“I’m standing here baffled over how we can get it that wrong. I’m incredibly frustrated, and I ended up getting a yellow card - I didn’t say anything, I’m honest - if I deserved it, I’d say. He’s absolutely killed us, that’s how I feel.
“My team lost out today through no real fault of their own. I’m always going to protect them.
“I don’t want to speak about it too much because what’s happened has happened, and we have to let everyone else deal with it now. We have to deal with this in the right way, and that means getting ready for Bradford.”
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