LEISTON midfielder Stuart Boardley and Chelsea's multi-million pound star Deco know only too well the price of taking a quick free-kick.Deco got a second yellow card and therefore a red in Chelsea's 3-1 defeat in Roma on Tuesday night for just that offence and has described his sending off as “crazy”.

Mike Bacon

LEISTON midfielder Stuart Boardley and Chelsea's multi-million pound star Deco know only too well the price of taking a quick free-kick.

Deco got a second yellow card and therefore a red in Chelsea's 3-1 defeat in Roma on Tuesday night for just that offence and has described his sending off as “crazy”.

This weekend Boardley is also paying the price by sitting out the biggest game of his career on Saturday.

As Ridgeons League Leiston entertain Fleetwood at Victory Road in the FA Cup first round, the midfielder is serving a one-match suspension due to having accumulated five yellow cards, one of which was received for taking a free-kick too early.

It is Heartache High for Boardley, the two-goal hero from Leiston's famous 3-1 win at Conference side Lewes last week.

And he looks back, shaking his head at what he felt then, and very much still does now, was a ridiculous yellow card.

“I can't even start to tell you how I feel right now,” Boardley said.

“I'm so fed up; it's difficult to put into words. Deco got his second booking for taking a free-kick quickly, and that's exactly what happened to me and now I'm missing my club's biggest-ever game.”

Boardley's influence in the Leiston team will be a big loss for the Victory Road side, who are sweating on the fitness of Tes Bramble.

The signing of Simon Head to bolster the squad couldn't have come at a better time, but Leiston manager Carl Chenery is taking things in his stride.

“Stuart is a big loss of course he is. We hope Tes will be available, he is sure to be in the squad.”

Boardley meanwhile can only sit and watch, as Deco will have to in what could be a crucial deciding Chelsea Champions League game for the London side in the future.

“I'll be at the game and for the pre-match meal,” Boardley added however.

“It will be frustrating watching, but if we pull off a victory, it will be worth it.”