GARRY Flitcroft is walking a disciplinary tightrope, just one yellow card away from an automatic three-match suspension.

Blackburn Rovers boss Roy Hodgson had intended to appeal against the midfielder's fourth caution of the season at Newcastle on Saturday but, as we revealed last night, there is no provision for that in the system.

So referee Jeff Winter's harsh application of the rules, when Flitcroft continued playing unaware that the whistle had blown for offside in the noise of St James's Park, could prove costly.

"In a sense we have had our appeal and made our point, because people have been writing about it," said Hodgson, who also wanted to try to get Kevin Gallacher's caution reviewed.

But it can be of little consolation to the manager who will lose Flitcroft from his squad as soon as he is booked again.

Rovers have already seen two players banned this season. Patrick Valery got one match for being sent off at Tottenham (two yellow cards) and Jason Wilcox has just completed a three-game absaence for seeing red against Coventry.

But Flitcroft is the only player currently on the brink of a ban through accumulated bookings.

And the punishment stands at three matches until after the last Sunday in November, when it falls to two.

The disciplinary system has been completely revamped this season, with bans for players collecting five cautions and a further suspension for eight yellow cards.

Anyone picking up 11 will have to attend a disciplinary hearing, as used to apply for 45 points.

FA Cup and reserve team bookings count towards the tally but not Coca-Cola Cup cautions as that competition, in most respects, has a self-contained disciplinary system. But the new structure has already come under fire, as players needed to accumulate a minimum of six cautions before being suspended in the past and, with points for various offences ranging from two to four, sometimes it was even more.

There could also be loopholes.

A club can apply on behalf of a player who goes five successive full matches without a caution to have one of his yellow cards wiped out.

And question marks were raised when Arsenal apparently played Steve Bould in a reserve game to complete five matches and lose a caution. On a brighter note, Chris Sutton will be able to have one of his three yellow cards expunged if he plays a full game without being booked at Barnsley on Saturday, as that will make up his total of five.

Meanwhile, Per Pedersen, whose extended loan deal to Borussia Moenchengladbach was completed towards the end of last week, made his Bundesliga debut at the weekend.

The Dane started for his new club against Bayer Leverkusen and played 74 minutes of a 2-2 draw.

A club spokesman said: "One couldn't expect too much yet, because he lacks match practice but he played quite well."

Pedersen, signed by Tony Parkes on last season's run-in but unable to claim a place under Roy Hodgson, could yet find himself facing another change of coach in the not too distant future. The Moenchengladbach boss is under some pressure as they are not particularly well placed in the Bundesliga and have some tough games coming up, with Borussia Dortmund and Kaiserslautern among their next three opponents.

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