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MARVIN Bartley has hit out at his weekend red card after Hibs formally launched an appeal with the SFA.
The midfielder was sent-off for the second time this season after referee Stephen Finnie accused him of kicking out at Bobby Barr during Saturday’s goalless draw with Raith Rovers.
The 30-year-old’s dismissal left the Easter Road outfit to play for nearly an hour with just 10 men as they battled to a point at Stark’s Park.
Afterwards, manager Neil Lennon demanded ‘justice and fairness’ and questioned referees’ ‘competence’ following his side’s third red card in their last five matches.
Barr backed Finnie’s decision, however, retorting: “The boy has just kicked me. I went for a tackle, the ball broke away and Bartley has just booted me.”
Bartley’s previous dismissal, in the 2-1 defeat to Ayr United, was overturned on appeal and Hibs have confirmed they are again contesting the player’s sending off, with the paperwork due to be lodged with the SFA by 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
A statement read: “The club can confirm that we will be appealing Marvin Bartley’s red card which he received at the weekend against Raith Rovers.”
Bartley’s fate will be decided by a judicial panel at Hampden on Thursday, with a two-match ban on the cards should Hibs fail in their appeal.
However, the former Bournemouth and Burnley midfielder, who was awarded a free-kick in the incident after being fouled by Barr, hit back yesterday with a sarcastic posting on social media.
BACKS TO THE WALL
He said: “Today I will be practising how to stop in mid air and also how to ‘boot’ someone half my size and not spin 180 degrees and end up on my bum!”
Meanwhile, Lennon has praised his players’ response to losing Bartley in the 38th minute.
He told Hibs TV: “I’m really pleased with the spirit. They could easily have folded but they didn’t – they did the exact opposite and we played brilliantly.
“It’s that psychology of backs to the wall and I wanted to see if they had it, and they showed loads of it.
“We might have gone there last season and melted or got done physically.
“But we stood up to the physical challenge and our football at times was excellent.”
