Josh Laurent found himself in the unusual position of being sent off in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
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Not only that, the 30-year-old was also dismissed at his old stomping ground for two yellows cards – something you rarely, if ever, see in a friendly outing.
Laurent, who joined Burnley from Stoke, was initially cautioned in the 55th minute for deliberately stopping a Potters counter.
Fast forward to just after the hour-mark and referee Steve Martin marched over to brandish a second yellow after the Burnley man had cynically crashed into the back of a Stoke player.
While it was an unnecessary challenge and one he didn’t need to make, Laurent and Burnley’s coaching staff – as well as their Stoke counterparts – were left dumbfounded by the referee’s decision to brandish a red.
Laurent was shown two yellows during Saturday's friendly defeat at Stoke (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)placeholder image
Laurent was shown two yellows during Saturday's friendly defeat at Stoke (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Despite the red coming in a friendly game, Laurent will still face punishment – although fortunately it won’t have a great impact on the Clarets.
Burnley are also due to play a behind-closed-doors friendly at Gawthorpe next Saturday morning, before the Turf Moor game against Lazio later that afternoon.
Laurent is deemed suspended for the training ground fixture, meaning he’s still available to face the Serie A side – effectively making no difference.
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