Motherwell boss expects missed penalty vs Dundee United to be used as ref test case amid anticipated verdict

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell fully expects a missed penalty at Fir Park last week to be used in referee development.

Steve Seddon was brought down towards the end of the first half during last weekend’s 4-3 win in the Premiership against Dundee United. Liam Gordon had given away a penalty earlier in the game after a VAR review judged him to have fouled Louis Moult. A Luca Stephenson challenge on Seddon was not awarded a penalty by Nick Walsh and the match referee was not called to the monitor by VAR official Greg Aitken for a second look. There was also Dundee United calls for a handball by Apostolos Stamatelopoulos in the build-up to Tom Sparrow’s winner.

The latest Key Match Incident review panel outcomes which look over refereeing calls will be released this week and Kettlewell would be shocked not to see that go down as incorrect, and believes it could be used for training refs, as he revealed a chat official chief Willie Collum.

He said: “I think, again, the pictures that I've seen, it looks as if it hits Apostolos on the shirt line, which is that kind of defining factor. There’s the penalty for Dundee United that makes it 1-1 and the penalty, I believe, that we should have had right on the stroke of half time, which would have given us the opportunity to make the game 4-1. I think we all know the relevance and the significance of that.

“I said to Willie that the conversation stays in-house between myself and him. But I think the real simple fact that I'd be prepared to put on it was we've seen the incidents the same way. And I think everybody knows our feeling as a football club that I probably felt it was as clear a penalty as you were going to see on Saturday. And I still think that's the case.

“So, I think it's one that we've missed, would be my view. It doesn't have an impact on the outcome of the game, but obviously those are the ones that in those tight games, you know, we should have had one against Ross County at 0-0. Spoke about that. The game should have been stopped against Dundee at 1-1. So, as the season goes on, you really hope that some of those decisions go in your favour.

“I need to go on record again and say that for me, the transparency and the communication has dramatically improved. I feel that we're not trying to throw anybody under the bus, but I think that we have to get to that end, talking about being black and white. What's the correct call? What's the correct outcome? I sat two weeks ago in a meeting with many of the clubs and Willie and his staff and his officials. And it was an open conversation.

“It wasn't a dictatorship to say that this is how it's going to be, this is what we see and there's no other thought process. There's very much been an angle leaning towards the clubs as to what do you feel in some of the contentious decisions. And you know what? It still splits the room.

“Let's see at the end of this week when the KMI report comes out. But if we relate it back to the Seddon incident, which I'm sure will be in there, I would be stunned if that doesn't come out as a 5-0 in favour of it should have been a penalty kick. Overall, I think where we had to start was better communication and better understanding from both parties, from both sides. And I feel that that's the direction that we're travelling in just now.

“I think what you'll see moving forward is that that might potentially be an incident that will be used as training, because this is another thing. We train our players. We make a mistake. We can see the goal. We go in with training. We go and try and improve through the week. That's how it works. And I think it's the same for the officials. So I would be fairly certain that what they do is they use a lot of these incidents to say, you know, if you're seeing that type of scenario, then this should be the outcome that we're looking at at the end of that. “

Next up is a home clash with Kilmarnock on Friday night. Kettlewell said of the game: “I think Kilmarnock are a really, really good team at this level. I think they're such a difficult opponent. But I look forward to the game on Friday night.

“That was one thing I said against Dundee United in the quarter-final of the Premier Sports Cup. I think it always has that slightly different, slightly more special feel under the floodlights. We get a terrific crowd here against Dundee United in the cup. And then we hope for something very similar here when the game comes around.”

Finding themselves fourth in the table, the mood music around Motherwell had negative elements after three straight defeats. But wins over St Mirren and United have bucked that run early, with Kettlewell explaining how he protects his squad from getting too high or low.

He added: “We keep talking about this, that you're two games, one game away from being the worst team the worst manager, the worst coaching staff in the world and you're a game or two away from being the best. It's football in this country. It is what it is. You don't get too high. You don't get too low.

“I've always spoken about this, about trying not to listen to outside noise. Trying not to listen to the knee-jerk opinion. And people trying to create a different narrative to the one that's actually there. Stare at the facts. Look at the facts. Build a picture off of that. It's always been my thought process. I believe you build a resilience to that. Whether you're winning games, not to get carried away. If you happen to lose a few games, which is inevitable for every single club in this division, not just Motherwell, then, as I say, you try and build that resilience towards it.

“And it's about how you work, I believe, every single day of your life. It's not just about the emotion that comes off the back of a game on a Saturday. I think we've been pretty good at that throughout the course of this season. And in general, my tenure. We don't get too high. We don't get too low. You hear me after a win. I shift onto the next thing. I shift on to the next opportunity that sits in front of you. And I just try and instil that mindset into the players to not over-enjoy or not over-celebrate because the next challenge and the next task is just around the corner. “