Middlesbrough have appealed Daniel Ayala's controversial red card that came in their 2-1 defeat at home to Preston last night.

The centre-back was dismissed in the 62nd minute for a crunching challenge on Brandon Barker and whilst he went in at speed, he did clearly take the ball.

And, Boro confirmed on their official site this afternoon that they will be appealing for the red card to be rescinded.

The have until 1pm tomorrow to submit the claim and a decision will be heard before the Teesside outfit make the trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.

As this is Ayala's second red card of the campaign he would be facing a four-game ban, meaning he would also miss games against Norwich, Bristol City and Swansea.

Keith Stroud's decision to send off Ayala had a massive impact on the game last night, with Tony Pulis' men 1-0 up and totally in control at that point.

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To make matters worse for Boro, North End's Paul Gallagher scored the resulting free-kick with Jayden Stockley then heading in to seal the win.

The Verdict

I can totally see why Boro have appealed this decision as he did take the ball.

The argument will be that he was using excessive force as Ayala did fly in to the challenge but he had to really as Barker was running through on goal.

In modern football you wouldn't be surprised if the decision was upheld though and losing Ayala for four games would be a big blow, particularly as they have some crucial fixtures coming up.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.