THE indiscipline that contributed so heavily to Eastleigh's 3-2 defeat at Blue Square South leaders Lewes on Saturday could come back to haunt them as the play-off race reaches fever pitch over the next three weeks.

Midfielder Peter Adeniyi is facing a three-match ban for an alleged head-butting offence that resulted in him seeing red just three minutes after Andy Forbes had brought Eastleigh back to 2-2 in a tense affair at the Dripping Pan.

And defender Adam Everitt is in even hotter disciplinary water having picked up his FIFTEENTH booking of the season on Saturday - plus one sending off for his old club Cambridge City - which will be punished with a massive five-game ban.

While admitting that Adeniyi's dismissal had cost his side dear, Baird is not convinced that the 28-year-old midfielder, signed from Bromley in December, was guilty as charged.

Inadvisably, Adeniyi - a former Lewes player - got involved in the shoving match that followed Everitt's foul on the Rooks' Andrew Drury and it was alleged by the assistant referee that he had headbutted one of the opposition.

"The referee didn't see anything and neither did we, but the far linesman said he did," said Baird.

"The tackle by Adam Everitt provoked a bit of a melee and Adam was surrounded by four or five Lewes players, so I'd expect our players to go in and protect one of their own.

"Yes, Peter put his head on the player, but the other lad also had his head on him and I've got to take Peter at his word that it wasn't a head-butt, but his sending-off did cost us the game."

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