VICTORIOUS Preston boss David Moyes believes Dean West was rightly sent off, and felt he should have been preceded down the tunnel by Lenny Johnrose for a tackle that left North End skipper Sean Gregan with a badly gashed shin early on in a fiery Lancashire derby.

West's return to the Burnley line-up lasted just 38 minutes before he collected his second yellow card for fouls on winger Ian Anderson.

The second booking looked a harsh decision but Moyes believed referee John Kirkby got that one right, having failed to pick up on Johnrose's shocking two-footed challenge on Gregan after just eight minutes.

"I don't think there's any question the lad deserved to go and I think the tackle before that from Lenny Johnrose on Sean Gregan deserved a sending off as well," said Moyes, after watching his side confirrm their promotion credentials with a 3-0 win.

"He had six stitches in a wound which Bas (physio Mick Rathbone) says is one of the worst he's seen on a shin, so I think that says enough about the tackle."

The challenges were flying around in the opening exchanges and by the end, Kirkby had dished out seven yellow cards.

Moyes added: "I'm very pleased with the way our boys kept their heads, the way they went about their jobs and didn't get affected by what was happening."

But despite an ultimately comfortable victory that put his side eight points clear of Burnley in second place, Moyes feels the Clarets shouldn't yet be counted out of the automatic promotion race. He said: "We were nine points clear a few weeks ago and they clawed that back. I think it will go right to the wire and Burnley are a good side."

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