WANDERERS are set to appeal against the red card handed to Josh Earl in Saturday’s heavy defeat at Accrington Stanley.

The club has put together a case for the Football Association’s disciplinary panel claiming the on-loan Preston North End defender should not have been sent off by referee Anthony Backhouse at the Wham Stadium for denying a goal or obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

Earl was handed a straight red for a foul on Stanley midfielder Dion Charles but Wanderers intend to question whether there was enough contact on the player to warrant a penalty being given, and highlight the fact Jason Lowe was present as a covering defender.

FA rules give scope for a referee to issue a red card and a penalty simultaneously if it is deemed that the offending player made no attempt to play the ball and that an “obvious” goalscoring opportunity was denied.

Meanwhile, Wanderers are in discussion with Accrington Stanley about playing their Leasing.com Trophy second round match at the Wham Stadium this weekend (November 30) - but the signs do not look good.

Lancashire Police are understood to have concerns about moving the match to the weekend following supporters trouble in the two clubs’ most recent meeting – but are also keen to shift the fixture away from its original date of Tuesday, December 3, as it clashes with Burnley’s Premier League match at home to Manchester City.

Accrington want the game played on Saturday rather than in midweek to ensure they get the maximum gate receipts, which are split between the two clubs.

Wanderers had originally requested to reschedule the postponed game against Lincoln City on Saturday but Lincolnshire Police also voiced concerns after troubles flared on the day the original game was called-off for a waterlogged pitch.

Speaking at the weekend, Keith Hill said he hoped the free weekend would be filled, giving his team a chance to make immediate amends for defeat.

“It makes sense, but I am not too sure where they stand at the moment,” he said. “We are both out of the FA Cup and both potentially got the opportunity to play next Saturday, so why not?”