West Brom dealt ‘wrongful’ Sunderland verdict amid Tony Mowbray frustration

West Brom will have to make do without defender Darnell Furlong for three matches after an appeal over his suspension was rejected.

The right-back was controversially sent off in the first half of Albion’s 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday and was immediately handed a three-game ban for violent conduct. Furlong was deemed by the referee to have purposefully elbowed QPR winger Koki Saito in the face and he saw red as a result.

QPR goalkeeper Paul Nardi attempted a route-one pass over to West Brom’s right flank and Furlong made contact with Saito before the ball arrived to the pair. There was definitely an arm on the face but it looked more like an accident in real time as Furlong and Saito both jumped in anticipation of heading the ball.

Tony Mowbray’s side had thankfully already taken the lead before Furlong was given his marching orders and were heroically able to hold on for the entire second half for a narrow 1-0 win. Those three points were ever so important as the Baggies, in sixth, now have a two-point buffer to Bristol City in seventh.

West Brom confirmed on Sunday evening they had appealed to the Football Association over Furlong’s red card, citing wrongful dismissal. A second announcement followed on Monday, however, informing fans their plead of innocence had been denied.

Albion’s statement read: “We have been unsuccessful in our appeal against the red card shown to Darnell Furlong in Saturday’s game against QPR. The defender will now serve a three-game suspension and is next available for the Sky Bet Championship fixture against Sunderland on Saturday, April 5.”

West Brom dealt significant blow

The Baggies are now at a disadvantage ahead of a trio of important fixtures, starting with a trip to Burnley on Tuesday night. It was already set to be very difficult to beat the automatic promotion-chasing Clarets as they’ve only lost twice in the Championship this season, but the task is even tougher now Furlong is unavailable.

The same can be said for the matches against Hull City and Norwich City that follow the visit to Turf Moor. Although the Tigers are nowhere near the play-off fight as expected at the start of the season, they’re still not safe from relegation and will be battling for every point possible. The Canaries, meanwhile, are still just about within touching distance of the top six.

As mentioned in the statement, Furlong cannot be selected until the hosting of Sunderland next month. That could prove to be another pivotal clash as the fixture list ticks down, along with the trip to play-off chasers Bristol three days later.

In Furlong’s absence, Mowbray is likely to field Everton loanee Mason Holgate at right-back. Another, more creative option could be changing formation to a back three with the likes of Callum Styles and Tom Fellows utilised as attacking wing-backs.

Anticipating a similar approach against Burnley, read on for Birmingham World’s full West Brom predicted lineup for the clash against Scott Parker’s side.