BOSS Matty Holmes said he would weigh up the possibility of appealing Scott Arnold’s red card picked up during Wimborne’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Southern League West leaders Taunton last night.

Arnold received his marching orders for a 68th-minute challenge on Peacocks striker Dan Sullivan at the Viridor Stadium – the Magpies captain’s second sending off in their past 10 league games.

Holmes felt referee Matthew Perry’s decision had been “quite harsh”, while a post on the official Taunton Town Twitter described the tackle as “disgusting”.

Arnold is facing a four-match ban which would rule him out of league games against Mangotsfield, Taunton and Shortwood together with the Dorset Senior Cup final against Shaftesbury.

Holmes told the Daily Echo: “I need to look at it again. We are not sure whether we are going to get a great angle on the video and it is tough unless you get a clear-cut picture.

“If we feel we have been hard done by, we will put in an appeal. We will just have to wait and see what the evidence is like.

“The referee said he had lunged in and wasn’t in control but I thought Scott nicked the ball and caught the lad as he followed through.

“A few decisions didn’t go our way and the referee had a tough job. They were pressurising him with decisions. It was first against third, an electric game and the atmosphere was fantastic.”

Wimborne reached the break locked at 2-2 after Toby Holmes’s double, his first a penalty, had sandwiched two goals in quick succession from Taunton’s Craig Veal midway through the first half.

Striker Holmes, who has now netted 19 times – including three hat-tricks – in his past 10 appearances, took his personal tally for the season to 47, with 34 in the league.

Although Taunton thought they had snatched all three points when Sullivan scored in the dying seconds, Billy Maybury rescued a draw for the visitors when he netted a free-kick in the fifth minute of added time.

Manager Holmes added: “We were 3-2 down against the league leaders and had played most of the second half with 10 men. We just went for it in the last couple of minutes. Either we got caught on the counter attack or we tried to get an equaliser.

“Toby got us back in it at 2-2 and the lads had that little bit of belief again. They were two great finishes but Billy’s goal was the highlight of the night.

“He had a couple of sighters and took a bit of stick after he had skied one over the stand. He dollied the third one in off the post and it was a beautiful free-kick.

“I felt we had thoroughly deserved it, especially with 10 men.

“At 2-1 down, we had to weather a bit of a storm and the boys showed a great attitude to the game and didn’t give up.

Magpies: Benfield, Arnold, Hester, Oldring, Davidson, Francis, Stokoe, Maybury, T Holmes, Burbidge, Lovell. Unused subs: Cole, Walker, Bayston, Walsh (g/k).