DEFENDER Steve Cook described as “harsh” the red card shown to Cherries star Jefferson Lerma against Coventry and added: “If that wasn’t Jefferson, I don’t think he maybe sends him off.”

Lerma, operating in an unfamiliar centre-back position, was given his marching orders for taking down Coventry striker Matty Godden having been deemed to have been the last man by referee David Coote.

Cherries were 2-0 up at Vitality Stadium at the time with 20 minutes to play, but ended up drawing 2-2.

Cook, making his first league appearance of the season, believes he was in a covering position for the Colombian in the game’s pivotal moment.

Quizzed on Lerma’s red card, he told afcbTV: “I thought it was harsh because I was quite covered round.

“It’s frustrating because on the way back, a couple of minutes after we scored, we were talking about concentration – and we’ve let it slip.

“I thought the referee… if that wasn’t Jefferson, I don’t think he maybe sends him off. I was round and you’ve got to look where it was on the pitch.

“I don’t think it was a red card but I might be totally wrong on review – that’s my initial thought.”