Bolton boss Steven Schumacher claimed it was ‘out of character’ for Xavier Simons to lash out at Sheffield Wednesday’s Harry Gray.Former Chelsea starlet Simons was shown a straight red card after appearing to punch the Leeds loanee in the stomach on Saturday.Simons will now serve a three-match ban for violent conductXThe midfielder’s moment of madness came after he reacted to his shirt being pulled 11 minutes after half-time in the Carabao Cup clash.Simons wildly swung his fist into the midriff of Gray, who is the younger brother of Tottenham player Archie, to spark a brief melee.The two-cap England Under-20 international was sent off with the score goalless at the time, and it proved hugely costly for the visitors.Wednesday ultimately took advantage of their one-man advantage, and Jamal Lowe scored a 70-minute winner to send them through.View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/swfc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw‘Poor decision’ from SimonsBolton head coach Schumacher accepted post-match that it was a ‘poor decision’ from his No.4 but claimed it was the first time that Simons had committed an offence like it.“From the angle I’ve seen it from this side, it looks like Xav has reacted and lashed out, which he knows you can’t do; it’s a poor decision, and it’s a decision that you wouldn’t expect from him,” He told the media.“It’s the first time I’ve seen him do that since he’s been here, and I’m sure he’ll be disappointed with it.”Meanwhile, Wednesday chief Henrik Pedersen was keen to focus on his side’s intensity in what is their first competitive game this term.The Owls, relegated to League One last season after being deducted 18 points, knocked out Bolton at this same stage last campaign.“We’ve had a good pre-season and then last week against Oldham, it was an example of how we don’t want to be,” he told The Yorkshire Post. “Today, I saw my boys back on the pitch for who we want to be.Schumacher said Simons’ decision to lash out was out of characterGetty“I saw a lot of steps in the right direction for our aggressive pressing, for our quick transition, more players higher up when we won the ball, a more forward mindset.“I saw a team when we were generally on the ball that had less backwards passes, less sideways passes, but there was a good verticality in this.“And then I saw a culture with a team where everything was not perfect, but there was no evaluation. We keep on going and they keep on working as a group, so I’m happy for them.”As for Gray, he was one of seven players to make their Wednesday debut in the 1-0 win over Bolton in the Carabao Cup.The 17-year-old, who made his Leeds debut at the age of 16 in April 2025, spent the second half of last season on loan at Rotherham.