Phil Parkinson fears tackling is being driven out of English football after City failed to get David Syers off his three-game ban.

The club’s appeal against his red card from last weekend’s win over Shrewsbury was knocked back by a Football Association panel yesterday.

They instead upheld Dean Moraheb’s decision – his first dismissal as a league referee – which means the midfielder misses the FA Cup trip to Watford on Saturday as well as the home games against Morecambe and Burton.

And City chief Parkinson is worried that officials are clamping down too eagerly on strong tackles.

Parkinson said: “(Wolves boss) Mick McCarthy was saying it last week and I agree with him. You can’t take tackling out of the English game.

“Our game is about physical contact and that’s what it’s known for.

“Supporters want to see great tackles. They will often get a cheer almost as much as a goal being scored.

“But officials are in danger of killing the game.”

Parkinson maintains that Syers – who was sent off for an “overly aggressive” manner of tackling – won the ball cleanly in the challenge which left Shrewsbury’s Nicky Wroe with two broken metatarsal bones.

He had no hesitation in challenging the dismissal after watching the incident again on the match DVD.

Parkinson added: “As soon as we saw it, we definitely had to appeal. It wasn’t worth a red card or a yellow – it wasn’t even a free-kick.

“That’s the frustrating thing from our point of view. The referee was only ten yards away.

“David slid in to take the ball and of course there’s going to be a bit of momentum, which is what caught their lad.

“But you can’t tackle and expect to just stop in the same position, especially on a greasy surface. I don’t know how David could have gone into the challenge any fairer.”

Meanwhile, Steve Williams has spent a two-day trial with Scottish Premier League side Inverness. The centre half has featured only twice under Parkinson, although City would want to ensure they have sufficient defensive cover before letting him go anywhere.