Marvin Bartley has warned Stuart Kettlewell “it would be a waste of money” to appeal Liam Gordon’s red card against Celtic.
The Motherwell boss claimed the defender’s late sending off during Sunday’s clash at Fir Park was “so harsh” – insisting a yellow card would have sufficed.
Goals from Luke McCowan, Alistair Johnston and Adam Idah saw Celtic cruise to a 3-0 victory over the Steelmen to reclaim their spot at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
Gordon’s lunging challenge on Idah was upgraded to a red card following a VAR check after referee David Dickinson initially issued a yellow. When quizzed on the incident after the game, Kettlewell said: “We’ve all got an opinion on that type of challenge.
Read more:
“I just feel it’s so harsh to give the red card. I think, at the time, the referee has a look at it, he can see that Liam has made contact with the Celtic attacker, but the first thing you see on a screen is still images and it looks bad, of course.
“I spoke to the referee after it in a calm fashion, just to ask what he saw in the challenge. He spoke about hinging the Celtic player’s ankle.
“But my counter-argument to that is you’re talking about Liam at full stretch at that point, not really with any force whatsoever trying to get a toe-end on the ball.
“I acknowledge he doesn’t get that toe-end on the ball, but I don’t think he’s come in with any reckless intent or trying to injure the Celtic player.
“We can look at these things a million times on the screen. I think the referee got it right at the time when he gave a yellow card."
He continued: "If you are going to appeal something you have to believe that the people at the other end of it are going to take your points and see it the same way. I'll have a conversation with the hierarchy here and decide what we will do."
But pundit Marvin Bartley feels the Well boss would be wasting his time launching an appeal.
“I think when he sees it from different angles, he will understand exactly why it’s a red card,” Bartley said.
“I must admit from first seeing it live I thought it was just a booking, but you look at it from different angles and you realise it’s a terrible tackle.
"As soon as you leave the floor and catch someone at the height he has caught Adam Idah, you have to be sent off. I don’t think they will be putting an appeal in because it would be a waste of money in my view.”
