TOWN will be shown a red card by the FA on Friday over their poor disciplinary record.
Just 24 hours before the important clash with bottom club Carlisle at Brunton Park, manager Peter Jackson and chief executive Andrew Watson will be hauled before a disciplinary hearing in Manchester.
FA chiefs will give Town a rap over the knuckles for collecting 63 bookings and 10 red cards this season.
No further punishment is expected, however, because of a much-improved record in 2004.
"It's our record before New Year which has prompted the FA to call us in, particularly the red cards we picked up," said Jackson, who decided not to field defender Ian Hughes in the Reserves today against Sheffield United.
"We did go through a spell where we were getting players sent-off all the time, but things seem to have settled themselves down at the moment."
Coincidentally, the only player red-carded since New Year, Tony Carss, serves his one-match ban this Saturday, when Jackson will be forced into a change.
He may also have to make a switch at wing-back, too, where Nat Brown is still struggling to recover from the groin injury which forced him off against Lincoln.
In their eight matches since New Year, Town have collected only six bookings to add to Carss dismissal against Torquay.
In the eight matches immediately before the turn of the year, Town had 12 bookings and three sendings-off.
"That's a lot better and, hopefully, our record will stay that way as we look to pressure the top three," said Jackson.
"Torquay are back within a point of us following their win against Scunthorpe last night, but we are looking to close on the teams in the automatic promotion places and that means keeping our solid run going and not stepping off the gas."
Goalkeeper Ian Gray is at home in Manchester recovering from further surgery to his damaged left hand.
He has to rest and keep the hand elevated until seeing the specialist on Friday and will not report to the McAlpine until Monday.
