FORMER Newport County AFC captain Joss Labadie will miss out on a return to Rodney Parade after being sent off for Walsall on Saturday.

The 31-year-old midfielder was dismissed for a dangerous tackle in the first half of the Saddlers' 1-1 draw with Bradford City at Valley Parade.

Labadie won the ball cleanly but was deemed by referee Ben Toner to have taken out Gareth Evans dangerously in his follow-through.

He was given a straight red card, which has the punishment of a three-match ban.

"Sincere apologies to all Saddlers, especially my teammates," Labadie posted on Twitter after the game.

"Whilst I'd never intentionally hurt an opponent, strong challenges and tenacity is something that has always been a part of my game and always will be. Superb graft from the lads to come away with a point."

The dismissal means that Labadie will miss the League Two fixture against the Exiles a week on Saturday as it is the third game of his suspension.

The stalwart left County in the summer after turning down a contract offer in favour of a new challenge in the West Midlands.

Labadie spent five seasons in Newport, played 146 times for the club and was an influential figure in two promotion challenges and memorable cup runs.

His all-action style did, however, make him a regular in the notebooks of referees with 53 bookings over his time at the Exiles and three reds, the last of them at Oldham in January for reacting to a challenge.

South Wales Argus: OFF: Joss Labadie leaves the field at Valley ParadeOFF: Joss Labadie leaves the field at Valley Parade

The midfielder is yet to hit top gear at the Bescot after suffering a quad injury in August but had earned the praise of his boss Matt Taylor before Saturday's red card.

"What he does is set the tone early on in the game," said Taylor. "It's not necessarily what he does with the ball, but it's how he leads.

"It's how he sets examples for other players on the pitch. He's a proper man that I'm extremely proud to have given the opportunity to be captain of this club."

Labadie will sit out Saturday's home meeting with Mansfield in League Two, the EFL Trophy fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion U21s and the trip to Newport.