Mark Robins was in no mood to play down the impact of two red cards following his side's draw with Coventry City on Tuesday night, as reported by Coventry Live.

The Sky Blues battled back from 3-1 down against Portsmouth to draw 3-3, but had to do so without a full set of players. Fankaty Dabo was dismissed just before Matt Godden struck a penalty to pull the score back to 3-2, before Gervane Kastaneer saw red for a second bookable offence.

The summer signing from NAC Breda had only been on the pitch for eleven minutes, but was sent off following two rash tackles. Robins believes the booking was a harsh one but had no words of comfort for either player.

“Gervane’s sending off I thought was really, really harsh. He’s just caught him on the follow-through because he can’t stop himself from sliding,” he said.

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"Ultimately it’s given the referee a decision to make and he’s made it. It’s cost us a little bit in terms of what we do ahead of Saturday."

He went on to blast both players, as well as a number of others who have picked up sloppy yellow cards in the opening four fixtures.

“I’m not happy about it, I’ve told them. The other thing as well is that we’re picking up too many rubbish yellow cards. That’s going to cost us as well. We’ve spoken about it in the dressing room, they know where I’m at with it. They can’t keep doing it."

The Sky Blues have remained unbeaten in their opening four fixtures, winning two and drawing two to sit third in the embryonic league table.

The Verdict

It's a fair warning to give, not only to the two players but the whole squad. League One is a tough division and a manager has to make a decision; you either have quality or quantity in your squad unless you're a financial big hitter.

Coventry City are not, the uncertainty over the revenue they'll generate from matches has meant a frugal approach this summer. Robins has a talented group of players, but perhaps not quite enough of them.

The last thing he needs is suspensions, especially silly ones for reckless challenges that didn't need to be made.