Shiels fails in red card appeal

Shiels clashed with Hearts keeper Gordon after scoring from the spot

Hibernian have been unsuccessful in their appeal against the red card Dean Shiels received during the Boxing Day Edinburgh derby.

The midfielder will miss Saturday's Scottish Premier League clash with Dunfermline at Easter Road.

Shiels was sent off after crashing into Hearts keeper Craig Gordon, having just scored a penalty.

Following the 3-2 loss at Tynecastle, Shiels insisted he was only trying to retrieve the ball from the net.

The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland had said: "The linesman came over and accused me of punching Craig Gordon and I totally deny that. I was running to get the ball."

But the Scottish FA ruling means he will miss one game for the red card and, with 12 disciplinary points added for violent conduct, that would see him pass the 18-point threshold and miss a further match.

"I've seen the replay five times and there was no punch as the linesman said to me," manager John Collins told BBC Sport after the stormy loss.

"It was maybe a booking but a sending off? Never in a million years. It has cost us dearly because at 2-2 we had the momentum."

Shiels earned the penalty and tucked it away coolly to level the game but he barged Gordon over when he raced to collect the ball from the net.

"His momentum has taken him forward as he was trying to get the ball back," Collins added.

"And the goalkeeper has taken a step forward to meet him."

However, Hearts striker Roman Bednar said referee Mike McCurry was right to send Shiels off.

"At 2-2 it all went a bit crazy with Shiels," he said.

"It was a sending-off. You cannot do that. He didn't punch him but he did push him."