COLCHESTER United midfielder Arthur Read will be handed a club punishment following his red card against Newport County.
The 23-year-old midfielder was sent off for the first time in his professional career for violent conduct after kicking out at Exiles substitute Kiban Rai in the closing stages of the U’s 2-1 defeat at Rodney Parade, on Tuesday night.
Read, who had been in fine form for Colchester, will now miss the club’s forthcoming League Two games against Morecambe, Forest Green Rovers and Harrogate Town, as he serves a three-match ban.
Colchester head coach Ben Garner said: “There’ll be a club punishment for that, in terms of set rules for the club.
“I spoke to him straight after the game and he’s got a three-game ban – that’s his punishment and that is punishment for Ready, because he loves his football.
“He’ll be distraught at missing three games but he’s got to learn from it and use this time to train really hard and make sure he’s chomping at the bit and then he’s got the challenge of getting back in the team, once he is back available.”
Garner admits Colchester’s overall discipline needs to improve, following recent suspensions.
Manny Egbo and Cameron McGeehan are both set to return for the U’s in their home clash with Morecambe tomorrow after both missed the Newport reverse due to suspension.
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Egbo was banned after picking up five yellow cards this season while McGeehan was sent off in the U’s 5-4 triumph over Notts County, last weekend.
Samson Tovide also served a suspension earlier in the season after being sent off in the U’s Carabao Cup first-round tie at Championship club Cardiff City, while Read is now out for three games.
Garner, who himself was booked during the game at Newport, said: “We’ve got to be better with our discipline.
“Losing Ready in the form that he’s been in and the way that he’s been playing and to something as naive as that is frustrating.
“As a group, we need to make sure that we’re disciplined and we’re not weakening ourselves, going into games with things like that.
“That’s an area that we need to improve collectively.”
