RED mist descended on King George V playing fields as five potty-mouthed participants turned the air blue during a local league cup match.

No fewer than six players received their marching orders as Harrington United's M A Hart Pickford Cup third round clash against Redhill Rangers ended eight-a-side.

Five of the sextet were sent for an early bath for using foul and abusive language, while the sixth saw red after collecting two bookings.

If you have ever set foot on a football pitch then the sound of expletives ringing in your ears is likely to come as little surprise.

But even if it is simply a stray pass, a late tackle or a defensive slip-up that precedes a verbal misdemeanour, it will no longer be a valid excuse for using foul language.

The vocabulary of choice for footballers could be about to change if Bournemouth Football Association secretary John Carter gets his wish.

Carter is warning players that one slip of the tongue will prove costly and result in an early bath after giving his backing to John Harvey, the referee at the centre of Saturday's swear-fest.

"The laws say something like 'a person shall be sent off if guilty of using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures' - that's the important bit," Carter told the Daily Echo.

"The FA issued a directive this year to stamp out foul and abusive language and what they've done is start from the bottom to the top.

"Saturday was a good example. The referee said before the game he would do it and I'm pleased he followed through."

Carter, a former Football League official, is no stranger to this type of incident and sent off Celtic manager Gordon Strachan during his playing days for a similar offence. He thinks players should see red when swearing generally during a match, as well as directly abusing an official.

He said: "A player will kick the ball from 50 yards and because it doesn't go to his players he might say 'what the effing hell are you doing'.

"It's the use of foul and abusive language in the context of just saying it, rather than if directed at people."

Ben Walton, secretary of Redhill Rangers, who had Dan Mowlam, Andrew Phillips and Adam Makin sent off, thought the red cards "ruined a good game" and that the referee was "over zealous".

He said: "Someone mis-controlled it and swore and he sent him off.

"The teams weren't abusive towards each other, but the referee looked to go by the book."

Carter's message to clubs is clear, however - get your house in order.

He added: "The clubs know what's going on and it won't be taken lightly. They're responsible for players and supporters and it's for them to sort it out."

Saturday's match saw more red cards brandished than the Football League record of five for a single game, which has happened on three occasions.