GARRY MONK has reacted with dismay after the Football Association rejected Middlesbrough’s appeal to have Adama Traore’s red card and three-match suspension overturned ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Queens Park Rangers.

The Boro boss had hoped “justice would be done” having always maintained Traore’s early dismissal at Aston Villa on Tuesday night should never have occurred, suggesting it was an attempted block rather than reckless challenge on Irish midfielder Connor Hourihane.

To fuel the frustration on Teesside, Aston Villa’s appeal to have Henri Lansbury’s red card – for a cynical second half tackle from behind on Marvin Johnson – was successful in the previous case to be heard by the FA’s independent regulatory commission.

Middlesbrough had appealed against the sending-off but the FA upheld referee James Linington’s verdict on the night, meaning Traore will still serve his three-match ban for serious foul play – while Lansbury is let off the hook.

It means the flying Spanish winger is not available to face QPR at the Riverside and he will be missing for the Carabao Cup tie at Aston Villa on Tuesday and the trip to Fulham next Saturday.

Monk said: “Hugely disappointed. It was the wrong decision. I am not just judging it afterwards, I knew that at the time.

“I was disappointed for Adama then and I am now and we have to suffer being without a player for three games and it is a bitter pill to swallow. It is for us to get on with it and move on.”

He added: “We obviously have the luxury of replays and referees have to make split decisions, but at the time I was ten yards away and instantly I thought it wasn’t a red card.

“The way the player reacted, the speed of Adama, the conditions, and my first feeling was that it wasn’t a tackle, it was a block, so the player was never in danger. There was actually minimal contact and when I saw the replays that confirmed that.

“Knowing the referee and the linesman didn’t have the best angle, I felt they got caught up in the situation. I did think at the time it wasn’t a red card. It happened and we dealt with it, now we have to move on without him for three matches.”

The chances of the appeal being successful appeared to improve when, in an earlier hearing, Aston Villa had Lansbury’s red card rescinded.

Lansbury’s tackle appeared to be more cynical, having scythed down Johnson deliberately from behind as the £2.5m Middlesbrough winger charged deep into the Villa half in the 64th minute. He was also shown a straight red and Villans boss Steve Bruce disputed the decision.

To be without Traore a week after his stunning display at Bolton is a real blow to Middlesbrough – and the club’s fans who hoped to see him shine on the flank against QPR.

Monk has had the bonus of having no extra injury problems to contend with. Danish striker Martin Braithwaite is training again but will not be considered for this weekend’s game, while Rudy Gestede is recovering from a minor operation on a dead leg.

The Middlesbrough manager said: “Martin was back on the grass this week, so he’s not too far away. That’s good. Rudy was good news in terms of the operation relieved the pressure, he is out of hospital. It will be the recuperation now and hopefully that will not be too long. There’s no damage to the muscle so it’s just about how it heals. Still no timescale though.”

Monk wants his players to continue in the same frame of mind that has delivered four points against Bolton and Aston Villa this week when they return to action at the Riverside. Middlesbrough have collected seven points from their three home dates so far.

The Boro boss said: “We want it to be a fortress straightaway. We want to win as many games as possible and make sure we pick up points along the way.

“We have had a good start at the Riverside, hopefully we are starting to get our away form on track. Now we need to go back to the Riverside and make sure it’s a place where teams come and find it difficulty. We need to continue to show that.

But he will be expecting a tough afternoon from mid-table QPR, even if Ian Holloway’s side are yet to win away from Loftus Road.

Monk said: “I have respect for Ian, he’s a fantastic manager, he sets up to be versatile and be ready. We have to expect something we couldn’t expect. Whenever I have come up against his teams it has always been a difficult match. We will go to the Riverside and try to get the result we really want.

“He is an experienced manager, a good manager. They try to play good football. At Leeds last season he came to Elland Road, set up different and we have to be ready to expect that again.

“He ended up making it a difficult game for us. Preparation is everything for us. We have to focus on what we need to do, improve what we are trying to do. But we will respect their strengths.”