Motherwell have opted not to appeal Liam Gordon’s red card from Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Celtic, despite manager Stuart Kettlewell initially questioning the decision.
Gordon saw red deep in stoppage time after a late challenge on Celtic’s Adam Idah, catching him on the ankle. Referee David Dickinson first issued a yellow card but upgraded it to a red following a VAR review, marking only the second sending-off in Gordon’s career. Kettlewell, however, described the red card as “harsh” and indicated after the match that the club would review the footage before deciding on an appeal.
After examining the incident, Motherwell have confirmed they won’t be challenging the decision. Assistant manager Stevie Frail shared insight on the situation, saying Gordon was disappointed with the outcome but highlighting that the defender would be eligible for Sunday’s crucial Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers, even though he’ll miss league fixtures against Dundee United and St Johnstone.
We have no idea why Gordon is disappointed about the decision to see red. Surely he knows it was 100% a sending off and his tackle as seen Adam Idah wear a safety boot for the past few days as a precaution.
Frail told recordSport, “It was an unfortunate incident. Liam’s played over 250 games, and this is just his second red card. His first, against Livingston, was overturned, so he was upset with this one. We reviewed it, and while he made an attempt to win the ball, he’s caught Idah on the ankle at full stretch. We’ve moved on from it, and hopefully, there are no lasting issues for the Celtic player.”
With the appeal decision settled, Motherwell will now focus on the upcoming league matches, though Gordon’s availability for the semi-final provides a welcome boost for the Steelmen as they prepare for a challenging tie against Rangers at Hampden.
