West Brom may appeal Hal Robson-Kanu's sending off

Substitute Robson-Kanu was shown a straight red card in injury time of Albion's 3-1 defeat to Derby County for a petulant kick out at Bradley Johnson.

It compounded a miserable second half for the Baggies, who missed out on a chance to finish third with Leeds United losing.

Robson-Kanu moved his foot backwards into Johnson after the ball had gone, and referee Tim Robinson showed him a straight red for violent conduct.

That carries an immediate three-match ban which would rule the striker out of both legs of the play-off semi-final against Villa as well as a potential final at Wembley.

Albion only have three recognised senior strikers at the club, with Robson-Kanu providing back-up to Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez.

And caretaker boss Jimmy Shan was disappointed to lose the 29-year-old.

"I’ve not seen it but it’s obviously a disappointment," said Shan after the game. "Potentially it’s going to be all three games or two games.

"It’s a blow and a big loss because Hal has contributed very well this season whether he’s started or been an impact player off the bench.

"He gives you something different in the final third so it’s a bitter blow and one that’s very disappointing."

Albion have been given a 2,000-seat allocation by Villa for the first leg of the play-off semi-final next Saturday, and have reciprocated by giving their rivals 2,000 tickets for the second leg.

The away allocation is usually closer to 3,000 at The Hawthorns but the Baggies are unable to resell those tickets to home fans due to security concerns and segregation issues in the concourse of the Smethwick End.

Therefore, there will be hundreds of empty seats in the Villa end of the second leg of the play-off semi-final.

Shan has urged his team to focus on the job in hand.

"It’s simple, we’ve got to go and beat Villa over two legs," he said. "That’s the task, one we’ll accept."