Leicester City's Bruno Berner says he was close to a red card against Newcastle

Bruno Berner has admitted he feared he would follow Richie Wellens down the tunnel and leave Leicester City to face Newcastle United with just nine men.

The Swiss defender had already been booked just before half-time when he dived in on United winger Wayne Routledge just after the restart.

City fans held their breath as referee Andre Marriner spoke to Berner, who returned to the City line-up after a five-week absence with a calf strain.

After Wellens was shown two yellow cards inside the first 30 minutes, Berner said he was expecting the referee to reach for his cards again but he felt the fact he had already sent off one City player off saved him from an early bath.

"I was very close to a red as well," said Berner, who believed the referee was probably right to send off Wellens.

"Probably Richie's were two yellow cards. He didn't leave the ref much choice.

"After my challenge in the second half on Routledge, I knew I had to calm down. My team-mates told me to calm down a bit and I was so motivated to do well.

"I knew Routledge is a very good player and I knew I had to get tight to him because he would be a threat. But I did calm myself down and I used my experience. I knew I had to get away from the scene after the tackle. Maybe the red card in the first half saved me and I got away with it."

After his absence, Berner said he was determined to produce a good performance and he said he was pleased to play his part as City stopped the rot after three consecutive defeats.

"I was pleased with my performance and I was part of a great point," he said.

"I don't think we should single out the back four alone, there was a tremendous team ethic and the work-rate was just fantastic."

He added: "We have shown everyone out there in the league that we are a unit and we are hard to beat."