Sittingbourne manager Darren Blackburn has told Harrison Pont he needs to learn fast after the young defender was sent off for the third time this season.

Pont saw red during the second half of Bourne’s 1-0 victory at VCD and will have missed 11 matches through suspension by the time he’s completed a five-game ban for his latest dismissal.

Blackburn rates the former Gillingham youth player but says he risks getting a reputation if he doesn’t keen his nose clean.

“He’s got to learn and learn fast,” said the Brickies boss.

“He’s a really good player and it’s a waste for him to be sat in the stand.

“I told him other managers would have got rid of him by now and if he’s not careful he’s going to get a reputation as an unreliable player.

“He’ll miss five games and that will be 11 games missed through red cards this season.

“Every sending-off has been avoidable, with a bit more common sense and thought and a calmer personality.

“He’s got to learn, I’ve told him he’s got to learn - you can’t keep having that.

“We’d just got ourselves 1-0 up against 10 men on Saturday (VCD right-back Chris Edwards had been sent off for headbutting Kane Rowland) and we should have been comfortable for the rest of the game.

“The minute Harrison gets sent off, the pendulum swings back and it’s a 50:50 game again.”

Pont’s dad, Darren, is Blackburn’s assistant manager, but that changes nothing as far as the Brickies boss is concerned.

“I treat Harrison like any other player,” Blackburn added.

“He’s got away with still being around because I think very highly of him and I’ve coached him on and off for the last five years.

“His dad is the first one to tell him when he’s done something wrong but unfortunately he’s not listening to either of us at the moment.

“He will learn because there will come a time when someone comes in and plays well in his absence and then his place is under threat or we replace him with someone who doesn’t keep getting sent off.

“That’s not what I want, because he’s a good player who offers a lot to the squad defensively.”

Tempers threatened to boil over after a goalless first half, which Blackburn put down to VCD frustration at being unable to break down his side’s defensive shape.

Emotions were running high again when Edwards saw red following his clash with Rowland, and Brickies took the lead with Johan Caney-Bryan’s 66th-minute penalty.

Sittingbourne needed to keep their cool but Pont gave the referee a chance to even up the numbers five minutes later with a challenge in front of the VCD dugout.

Blackburn said: “The tackle itself isn’t a red card, it’s just the way he’s gone in, where he did it - in front of their dugout - and the timing a few minutes after they had one sent off.

“Some refs would give a red, some refs who are old-school would probably say it’s a fierce tackle, no problem, and others would say it’s a bit aggressive and give a yellow.

“If you asked 100 refs you’d probably get a third for each but Harrison didn’t need to put himself in that position.

“He got involved in something before that where he got pushed to the ground and he could have been frustrated by that.”

Sittingbourne, ninth in Isthmian South East, visit in-form Three Bridges this Saturday.

Blackburn said: “They’ve been good for the last six or seven games and maybe beyond that.

“We’ve not had the easiest run - Hastings, Cray Valley, Hayward Heath and now a team in form.”