Colchester United played out a 0-0 draw with Stevenage

STEVENAGE boss Graham Westley felt Tom Soares' red card against Colchester United was 'very harsh'.

The Boro man was dismissed by referee Ollie Yates in the 19th minute of the U's 0-0 draw at the Lamex Stadium for serious foul play, following a challenge on Luke Gambin.

Soares' red card meant Stevenage had to battle for more than 70 minutes with only ten men but they held out to claim a point, in their bid to move away from the bottom of League Two.

Westley said: “We all want to see a game of football out there; we don’t want to see a side backs to the wall, hanging on and having to put a defensive performance on especially the home side.

“You have to make sure that if you send someone from the field of play, you’re sending them for the right reasons.

“I think it was an honest challenge from Tom Soares with intention to win the ball, which I think he did.

“I think it was very harsh that he ended up going down the tunnel.

“It would have been very easy for the lads with it being their four game in nine days to feel tired and use that excuse.

“But we didn’t look for excuses - we did everything we could to be men about the situation and take responsibility and the lads to a man were a credit to themselves.

“What a work ethic – what a hunger, what a desire, what an appetite, what a togetherness - it was like the days of old."