Ash: Ban’s just a Tad excessive

the incident but TV cameras didn’t.

The winger did not contest the charge but argued the suspension was excessive. That was rejected and now the 32-year-old will miss today’s Premier League match at Everton plus home games with Derby in the FA Cup and Stoke.

An FA spokesman said last night: “Ashley Young accepted a violent conduct charge following an off-theball incident during yesterday’s game against Southampton, but argued that the suspension was excessive. This was rejected by a Regulatory Commission.”

Saints star Tadic believed Young should have been sent off for the elbow.

Tadic said: “Yes, he elbowed me and I asked him ‘why did you do this?’

“It was really strange because I didn’t expect that from him.”

Asked if Young should have been sent off, Tadic said: “Yes, yes. He’s an experienced player and he cannot do that.

“I was surprised and then at the next corner I asked him, ‘Why did you do that?’ and he said ‘I didn’t do anything.’

“I said, ‘You didn’t do anything? You elbowed me in the stomach without reason’. OK, if you want to push, but an elbow is different.” CRYSTAL PALACE could be forced to buy a new centre-back after Scott Dann suffered a “serious knee injury” against Manchester City.

Mamadou Sakho is out with a calf strain while Jason Puncheon joined Joel Ward on a lengthening injury list. “We are massively stretched,” admitted manager Roy Hodgson.

“Scott Dann’s injury doesn’t look good – it’s a serious knee injury. How serious it’ll turn out to be we’ll have to wait and see.

“Sakho’s likely to be out for a few weeks, there’s no sign of Ward recovering in the next few days, and we’ve lost Dann and Puncheon.

“We’ve stretched our resources to the absolute limit. The subject of buying a centre-back’s never come up, but who knows now?”

Meanwhile, Palace flop Jordon Mutch is a target for Burton.

Struggling Brewers boss Nigel Clough wants the £5million midfielder on loan to boost their survival scrap for the rest of the season.