Former Liverpool and Newcastle striker apologises after seeing red for 'unintentional' handball during Luton draw

Experienced striker Andy Carroll has apologised to the Reading supporters for letting them, the club and himself down by getting sent off in last night’s 1-1 draw with Luton.

The former Liverpool, Newcastle and England forward had been having an impact for the hosts during the 55 minutes he was on the field, putting a glorious early chance over the bar, before getting his first yellow of the evening for sliding in on Cauley Woodrow.

Carroll then broke the deadlock early in the second half with a trademark header, and looked like he had found the net again just a few moments later, steering another right wing cross into the net, immediately celebrating.

However, replays showed he clearly handled the ball over the line, an incident he described as ‘unintentional’, but it wasn’t enough to save him from a second booking and following red card from referee Tim Robinson.

It left the Royals with over half an hour to play with 10 men, as they couldn’t hang on, Carlton Morris scoring a late leveller to secure Luton’s play-off spot and keep the hosts in the bottom three with games running out.

Writing on Instagram afterwards, Carroll said: “I’m The First Person To Accept When I’m Wrong.

"Tonight, Not Only Have I Let Myself Down But I’ve Let My Teammates And The Fans Down With An Unintentional Handball.

"The First Couple Of Seconds When The Ball Went In It Was Just An Automatic Reaction To Celebrate, But I Knew It Hit My Hand. I’m Devastated.

“It Was An Absolute Graft From The Lads From That Moment On And The Lads Played Out Of Their Skin To Get Us A Point.

“Thanks Again For All Your Support.”