RED-CARDED York City striker Jon Parkin has questioned referee Eddie Evans' decision not to send off Scunthorpe United defender Cliff Byrne as well at Glanford Park on Saturday.

Parkin, 21, was dismissed for violent conduct during the Division Three clash and has admitted that he threw out an arm after jostling with Byrne in the penalty box.

But the powerful striker feels aggrieved that Byrne, who had received a yellow card just a minute earlier, escaped a second caution after he tumbled to the floor holding his face despite Evans later confirming that Parkin had made no contact and received his marching orders for "intent".

"We were jostling in the box and I threw my arm out to try to get away from him," Parkin said. "He obviously went down but I never even touched him.

"I should not have given the referee an opportunity to send me off but when one of our subs said I did not touch him the referee told him the linesman said there was no contact but because I threw out my arm there was intent.

"It's perhaps not for me to say but if the linesman said I did not make contact and he's holding his face then maybe he should have been punished as well. To be honest, I thought he would just have a word with us for jostling in the box until the linesman started putting his flag up. Then I feared the worst."

Parkin also confessed that his "chin hit the floor" when he learned two hours later that his home-town club Barnsley would be the Minstermen's FA Cup first round opponents.

He believes an appeal against the decision is probably futile and he is now facing a minimum three-match ban, which will start with the cup game against his old team.

The former Tykes forward grew up ten minutes away from Oakwell and still lives in the area.

He played for Barnsley from the age of nine until last summer when he joined the Minstermen on a free transfer.

Parkin said: "Mitch Ward told me we had got Barnsley and, as soon as I heard that, my chin hit the floor. I was at the club for more than ten years, still live close to the ground and still have a lot of friends there.

"I supported them as a kid when I went to most home games and I still go down a little bit now when I can.

"I have never had the chance to play against them since I left but I suppose it's just one of those things. I have only got myself to blame and all I can do is work hard while I'm out.

"I don't know whether it would be worth appealing against. I have not had a chance to speak to the gaffer but because it was off-the-ball I don't know whether the cameras would have been on it."

Parkin also admitted that he had apologised to experienced team-mate Lee Nogan, who ploughed a lonely furrow up front after his striking partner was ordered off in the first half.

"I said sorry to Lee after the game," he said. "I thought he did really well, as he did against Oxford in the game before."

Updated: 11:19 Tuesday, October 28, 2003