Sunderland midfielder George Dobson is one booking short of a two-game ban - leaving him walking a disciplinary tightrope for the next six weeks.
Dobson picked up his ninth booking of the League One campaign in the Black Cats' 2-0 weekend defeat against Portsmouth at Fratton Park, leaving him one caution away from a suspension.
The cut-off for ten bookings in the EFL comes after 37 games, which means Dobson would have to avoid any more yellow cards in the next nine games - which would mean keeping his nose clean up to and including Sunderland's trip to Blackpool on March 14.
And given that the summer signing from Walsall has collected nine booking in 22 league outings so far, it seems highly unlikely that he will manage to dodge another caution over the next six weeks.
Dobson has already served a one-match ban this season after collecting his fifth booking of the season in the 1-1 home draw against Coventry City in November.
And he also sat out a game through suspension in December after he was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 1-1 draw against Blackpool before Christmas - although the neither of those bookings count towards his tally of yellow cards for the season.
Dobson has also received one booking in the Carabao Cup and one in the EFL Trophy this season, but cards are now competition specific meaning they do not count towards suspensions in the league.
