Crawley coach Craig Brewster says Hope Akpan is "distressed" after his tackle resulted in AFC Wimbledon striker Jason Prior's broken leg.
Prior, making only his second start for Wimbledon, had to be stretchered off in the ninth minute in the 1-1 draw at the Broadfield Stadium when midfielder Akpan went in with a reckless challenge which resulted in a straight red card.
A 77th-minute strike from Sammy Moore put the visitors ahead before Gary Alexander equalised four minutes later, extending Crawley's unbeaten run to 11 games and securing a play-off spot for the side who came up from the Blue Square Bet Premier last season.
On the sending-off, Akpan's second of the season against the Dons, Brewster said: "Our lad Hope is in a bit of distress because of what he's done.
"I've no complaints with the sending off. We wish the lad well and unfortunately he was caught slightly late by Hope who is not that kind of player.
"Our players responded magnificently to going down to 10 men and playing for 80 minutes with a man short. It was a terrific performance."
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