Dwight Gayle would be suspended for the play-off final if West Brom make it to Wembley, it has been confirmed.
The star striker was dismissed in the closing stages of the first leg of the play-off semi-final against Aston Villa for a late challenge on goalkeeper Jed Steer, a couple of minutes after he’d been booked for timewasting.
It was initially thought that the two yellows would just keep him out of the second leg at the Hawthorns on Tuesday, but it’s been revealed that the cumulative effect of previous offences - he was banned for two matches for deceiving a match official earlier in the season - means that the suspension would carry over into a potential final.
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Gayle, on loan from Newcastle United, helped fire the Baggies to a fourth-place finish in the Championship by scoring 24 goals and has long proven his ability at the second tier level.
He also added the first on Saturday to give West Brom a first-half lead at Villa Park, although the hosts turned things around and go into the second leg with a 2-1 lead.
⚽️ Lethal from Dwight Gayle...
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Whelan loses the ball in midfield and he is punished
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"To my mind, every time the ball went out he had an intent of walking towards to the ball," said caretaker boss James Shan.
"It's a new one on me if you have to jog and sprint to restart every time the ball goes out.
"No problem with me with the referee discussing that with him and trying to hurry him up, but not once did Dwight stand still, every time he's walking to take the throw-in.
"The second one, for myself, he's got every right to contest the ball."
A late substitute against Leeds United back in November, Gayle scored West Brom’s fourth in their 4-1 home win, but he was shackled and frustrated as the Whites ran out 4-0 winners in the return fixture at Elland Road.
Hal Robson-Kanu also scored against Leeds in the defeat at the Hawthorns, but he’s also suspended after being shown a straight red card for violent conduct in their last league match against Derby. Harvey Barnes, another goalscorer that night and West Brom’s man of the match, was recalled by his parent club Leicester City in January.
West Brom can still call upon Gayle’s strike partner Jay Rodriguez for the remainder. He’s scored 22 goals this season and will now be their only major goal threat as they aim for a second-leg fightback at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night.
