FOREST GREEN have been handed the perfect tonic ahead of this Saturday's FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round clash at home to Dagenham & Redbridge (3pm), with the news that goalkeeper Ryan Clarke has successfully had his contentious red card rescinded by an FA appeal board who met at FA headquarters, Soho, on Tuesday afternoon.

Clarke, on a season-long loan from Bristol Rovers, was left in utter disbelief when Halseowen referee Andy Hendley sent him off in the 10th minute during a frustrating 3-0 defeat against Woking last Saturday.

Furious officials at The Lawn quickly put in an appeal and after presiding over video evidence the decision was rebuked, clearing the way for Clarke to play this Saturday.

"We are pleased that the decision has been changed," said Forest Green boss Gary Owers. "It doesn't take away from the fact had Ryan not been sent off we may have had a different result, but there is no point in thinking what might have been and we now have to focus on Saturday."

Prior to his dismissal, Clarke had dropped a clanger after a comedy of errors saw Jon Richardson fail to deal with a routine clearance.

The agony worsened as Adam Garner's sliced howler was inexplicably dropped by Clarke for Craig McAllister to tap in a second minute opener. It got worse.

Hendley adjudged Clarke to have handled the ball outside his penalty area. Clarke had come through a plethora of players to punch clear unconvincingly.

In Clarke's mitigation the incident was far from a clear goalscoring opportunity, but the match official administered a straight red. It was then left for Karl Murray to rub further salt into the wounds from the resulting free-kick with the second.

The game was killed on 29 minutes. Justin Richards left Richardson floundering and swept past the impressive teenage keeper Ryan Harrison.

STRIKER Michael Whittington-signed on work experience from Cheltenham Town on Friday- has been cleared to play in the FA Cup