The 26-year-old was sent-off just before half-time in the 5-0 defeat by MK Dons at Home Park on Saturday

Plymouth Argyle midfielder Jordan Houghton will have to serve a one-match suspension when the 2022/23 League One campaign gets under way.

It follows his dismissal for two bookable offences in the season-ending 5-0 defeat by MK Dons at Home Park on Saturday.

Houghton was booked in the 42nd minute for a foul on Troy Parrott and was then shown the yellow card again by referee Craig Hicks after a challenge on David Kasumu in first half stoppage time.

The Pilgrims were already trailing 3-0 at the time and headed for a defeat which saw them drop out of the play-off positions on the final day.

Next season will begin on Saturday, July 30 – a week earlier than usual due to the 2022 World Cup taking place in Qatar in the winter – and the EFL fixtures will be released on Thursday, June 23.

Houghton made a total of 49 starts and one substitute appearance for Argyle after joining them from MK Dons last summer.

The 26-year-old Chelsea academy product was a key performer for the Pilgrims in the midfield holding role as they challenged at or near the top of the table all season.

Houghton received 13 yellow cards in 42 league starts, which was the joint second highest total in the division.

Accrington Stanley defender Ross Sykes was booked 14 times, with Houghton, Tendayi Darikwa (Wigan Athletic), George Dobson (Charlton Athletic) and Tom Hamer (Burton Albion), as well as Luke Leahy and Josh Vela (both Shrewsbury Town), all on 13.

Houghton’s dismissal against MK Dons was only the second red card received by an Argyle player this season. Defender James Wilson got the other one in the 1-1 draw at home to Cambridge United in August.

In a post on Twitter on Tuesday night, Houghton said: “To lose out on the play-offs on the final day and in the way that it happened was truly gutting!