Albion rallied behind Gary Elphick today to help him overcome the red card which marred his first senior start.

The 19-year-old centre half was controversially sent-off by referee Paul Taylor for a second bookable offence in Saturday's 5-1 defeat at leaders Reading.

Elphick, booked early on for a foul on Kevin Doyle, was dismissed at the start of the second half for a challenge on Reading's hat-trick hero Dave Kitson.

Manager Mark McGhee said: "We'll have to help him. He is a very conscientious lad, sensitive in some ways.

"I think the referee will be embarrassed when he sees it on the telly. He had no sympathy whatsoever. He should have known to tell a boy making his debut early on in the game that he's got to curb his enthusiasm. It was an innocuous challenge when he booked him the first time and then to send him off was, for me, an absolute joke."

Gary Hart, sent-off for two bookable offences in the home defeat by Crystal Palace last month, said: "He (Elphick) will learn from it. He was hyped up for the game and might have made challenges he shouldn't have but for the ref to book him in the first few minutes was an absolute disgrace. I don't know too much about the second booking but it looked like he (Kitson) went to turn and went down as if he had been shot."

Hart also protested his innocence over the penalty awarded to Kitson and converted by him which doubled Reading's lead shortly after Elphick's dismissal.

"I was nowhere near him," Hart said.

"Down to ten men and 2-0 down killed us. We were just fighting an uphill battle."

Elphick's younger brother and fellow centre half Tommy made his debut as a second-half substitute.

McGhee said: "Two brothers making debuts on the same day is fantastic and I am sure they will remember it for good reasons other than the result and the fact that Gary was sent-off."