NEWPORT County AFC midfielder Mitch Rose has been charged with misconduct by the FA for his reaction after being sent off at Cambridge United last week.

Rose was shown a straight red card after conceding a stoppage-time penalty that led to Cambridge's winning goal.

That was subsequently overturned on appeal and he was able to face Morecambe on Tuesday night.

But Rose has now been charged for knocking the card out of the hand of referee Trevor Kettle at the Cambs Glass Stadium.

The 22-year-old has requested a personal hearing and is expected to be available to play against his former club Mansfield Town at Field Mill this Saturday.

And County manager Graham Westley believes he should not face any further punishment.

"I just had a look at the footage of the incident; it’s a really strange situation," he said.

"I’ve never seen a red card issued like it really. The red card was issued in Mitch’s face in a way that Mitch had to step backwards to avoid the referee’s elbow.

"You can see him clearly push the arm away and he’s going to have to explain what happened.

"But I think it’s clear for anyone to see what happened – if someone comes at you with an elbow and you’re forced to step backwards to get out of the way of the elbow and you push the arm in natural self-defence I struggle to see how it can go anywhere.

South Wales Argus:

"But the FA have asked for an explanation and it will need explaining, for sure," he added.

"I think he will ask for a personal hearing because you need to explain that kind of thing.

"I’d expect the hearing to happen sometime next week."

Westley said Rose, younger brother of England and Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny, was not the sort of player to misbehave on the football pitch.

"He’s a boy who takes his responsibility to the bigger picture of the game very seriously - he’s got an international footballer in his family," said the Exiles boss.

"He’s a really good kid and he’s not the sort of lad who underestimates the importance of taking the right actions in the public domain.

"He very clearly, because of his family apart from anything else, understands the right way and the wrong way to conduct yourself.

"He’s a very well-heeled young man and you look at the situation and you feel for him, I really do."

South Wales Argus:

"I’ve never seen a card issued in someone’s face where the player is actually avoiding an elbow and naturally reacting and then just walking away.

"He didn’t get involved. He wasn’t confronting the official.

"But the card was issued in a manner that is there for all to see."

Mansfield boss Steve Evans also hopes the FA go easy on his former player.

“I hope a bit of common sense applies there to see a young man in the 90th minute in the emotional games we have in football, doing something he accepts he shouldn’t do,” said the Stags boss.

“Maybe a letter there would suffice. But I am not the FA and it will be interesting to see what the match referee has put in his report.

“I can’t get involved in that other than we expected Mitchell to be playing against us when we let him join Newport County.”