BURNLEY defender Graham Alexander has urged referees to exercise more caution when it comes to dishing out red cards.

The Clarets have had four players sent off in the last six games - including two in the derby defeat over his former club, Preston.

But although Burmley have the seventh worst disciplinary record in the Championship this season, picking up five red cards and 49 yellow cards, Alexander insists: "We're not a dirty team."

And particularly in light of Alan Wiley's controversial dismissal of Kyle Lafferty on Sunday, for his challenge on Gilberto Silva, which left Burnley battling against Premier League leaders Arsenal with 10 men in their FA Cup third round clash, Alexander has appealed to officials to take careful thought before handing out serious punishment in the future.

"Referees are jumping into their pocket a little bit too quickly.

"They have to step back and have a little think about it instead of raring like a gun-slinger, which I think has happened to us a couple of times," said the 35-year-old.

"Tackling is part of the game, it's a big part of the British game.

"If you take that out of the equation, it will be a poorer game for it.

"How the game is played in Britain has got to be taken into consideration.

"I fully agree that there is no place for two-footed lunges in our game - I think they should be outlawed.

"I had no complaints about Chris McCann's (red card) - although it should have been a free-kick for him beforehand.

"I argued his case at the time but having seen it again the referee was right.

"But as long as there's no malice in it, like I didn't think there was with Kyle - there isn't a malicious bone in his body.

"He was just chasing a ball he had mis-controlled a bit and even a couple of Arsenal players said that it should have been a yellow card.

"The first thing I said to the referee was that he'd probably spoilt the rest of the game by reducing us to 10 men.

"It's disappointing because I think he over-reacted to the tackle. I thought it was a yellow card at most.

"But at the minute, the climate seems to be stamping down on anything that's not cleanly taking the ball and we've been on the receiving end of a few of those at the moment.

"And the consequences for us are that Kyle's out for four games now."

Burnley, who had an appeal for Joey Gudjonsson's dismissal against Preston last month rejected, decided against challenging Lafferty's red card.

The offence carries a mandatory three-match ban but Lafferty's suspension was extended to four games after his red card on the pre-season tour of Austria, for a similar incident, was also taken into consideration.

But Alexander said controversial decisions would be easier to accept if referees were more ready to admit they were wrong.

"Everyone can make a mistake - referees are only human - but sometimes you appeal it and they don't admit the mistake and give you three or four games anyway," said the Scotland international.

"There aren't many that are getting rescinded, and I think it's a little bit harsh, but you don't know what directives they are getting from above."