Rory Hale admitted "frustration" got the better of him following his late sending off in the 2-0 defeat to Linfield on Saturday evening.
The Cliftonville midfielder was shown a straight red by referee Jamie Robinson following his challenge on Kyle McClean, which sparked a melee in the aftermath.
The dismissal had no outcome on the final result with the blues in control thanks to goals from Jimmy Callacher and Chris Shields, but it will prove costly for Hale who will now miss the European play-offs.
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The 26-year-old posted his regret about the tackle on Twitter labelling it a "horrendous decision to go to ground".
"I’m big enough and old enough to take the stick that comes with it, horrendous decision to go to ground, something I teach kids every day not to do," he tweeted.
"Frustration got the better of me and I’ve let the lads down going into the play offs. Fingers crossed we can get the job done."
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