Motherwell boss draws handball comparison with Rangers penalty incident after star's handball red card

Stuart Kettlewell says there’s been no discussions over an appeal for a red card shown to Dan Casey - amid a similar incident in Rangers’ clash with Hibs.

The defender will be unavailable for the Premiership trip to Leith after being sent off for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity on the goal line during a 2-1 success vs St Mirren. Kettlewell then watched Rangers’ John Souttar commit a similar handball offence on Sunday during a 1-0 win for Philippe Clement’s side, where the Ibrox manager questioned the call to dish out a penalty to Hibs.

Souttar didn’t land a booking after being penalised, and when asked if he had spoken with head of referees, Willie Collum, Kettlewell said no but noted similarities in the incidents. He said: “I was at that game. To the naked eye, I didn’t see it. I don’t know, I am asking the question of what the differences are in them. There could be that debate in the Rangers game whether the goalkeeper is going to save it or not.

“I think that is the clear difference between the two opportunities, our goalkeeper wasn’t in a position where he was going to save the ball. Dan Casey has gone full throttle across the goal. I heard a few things saying he’s deliberately handballed it. He’s not deliberately handballed that, he’s tried to put his chest, face, legs, in the way.

“I am not going to get out my seat and start showing you what I think he done but I feel it was a bit unfortunate. It’s not one I have had a conversation about or we have appealed. It’s not deliberate handball and Dan is still adamant, and we have a camera angle, where we feel it’s came off his body and onto his arm. Is it going in the back of the net if it doesn’t touch him? It was going to hit the back of the net. For me, the two look similar in many ways that it looks like the ball could go in the back of the net.”

Casey’s replacement in the game at centre-back, Kofi Balmer, impressed during his time on the park. He comes armed with an enormous throw-in but Kettlewell insists the game plan won’t be based around the Northern Irishman’s ability to sling the ball long.

Kettlewell explained: “I can’t kick a football that far to be honest! You hear the gasp when everybody sees it. That’s a weapon, a tool you can use in so many different situations. We tried to use it to get up the pitch in stages so it wasn’t even in that final third.

“Something I will be really transparent about is we are not a team that sets up for long throws. We don’t play for long throws. We play to try and create and score chances from open play. We have a way of playing and definitive structure. We have a game model, something like a long throw is a small add-on if you feel you have an opportunity to utilise, then of course we will. But I am not playing the game so we can have our centre-back launch balls into the box. Yes play it off, but not what we are playing for.

“I had a conversation with Kofi a couple of weeks ago. He has been training really well. He comes with good pedigree and for his age, pretty decent match experience. He’s had to be patient for an opportunity.”

Teenage midfielder Lennon Miller could play his 50th game for the club on Saturday, coming hot off three goals in his last two games. After being left disappointed by what he watched from Motherwell’s U18s in a Youth Cup defeat to Ross County midweek, Kettlewell says Miller is an example of opportunity in ML1.

He added: “You get windows of opportunity when you need to go and show to people that you can handle the demands of Premiership football. I had a bit of a rant for our U18s group who I watched through the week. They had a brilliant opportunity to go and perform well on the pitch out there in the Youth Cup and they fluffed their lines really badly, in my opinion. That sounds as if I am going really hard and heaping a lot of pressure onto young players, but I take such a big interest in it.

“Sometimes the Youth Cup on the first team pitch might be a big opportunity for you and you miss it. How’s Lennon made the difference? Every time we have put a big task in front of him, at no point has he come up short.

“I don’t think you’ll always get it right. But what I think you have to do is show the traits you are capable of. I am trying to make a comparison of something I watched during the week but that is a message to everybody at this club that these opportunities come. Lennon gets a chance to play his 50th game for the first team because he’s shown so much quality and composure in big moments, when you are tested physically, mentally, tactically. He’s stood up to all those challenges.”