Lee Noble received the backing of Dartford boss Tony Burman this week after being sent for the fourth time in 16 months.

The midfielder was shown a straight red card at Alfreton on Saturday, less than a month after being dismissed against Gateshead.

Noble was also given his marching orders in games at Grimsby and Woking last season, but Burman leapt to his defence after watching Saturday’s incident back.

He said: "I will come down on Lee like a ton of bricks when I think he’s wrong. He’s a whole-hearted player who gives everything for the club and sometimes, in his excitement, he doesn’t keep his composure.

"But on this occasion I felt it was harsh. His foot was high but he was trying to bring the ball down. He was only looking in the air, he wasn’t even facing the guy.

"I’ve watched the DVD and it was an accidental challenge. Lee was bringing the ball down, watching the ball in the air and there was a collision between the two players.

"The referee said after the game that he felt it was accidental and for some reason he said that if the opposing player had got up straight away, he probably wouldn’t have given him a straight red card.

"I thought that was a strange comment."