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SCOTT McDonald insists Willie Collum was wrong to send him off in Saturday’s defeat to Rangers.
Motherwell have launched an appeal to try to overturn the 27th-minute dismissal in the 2-0 loss at Fir Park.
Referee Collum deemed the former Celtic striker guilty of serious foul play when he lunged in on Kenny Miller after losing control of the ball on the half-way line.
However, the Australia internationalist is hopeful the SFA will reduce his offence to a yellow card after claiming there was ‘no intent’ in the tackle.
He said: “Willie Collum calls it as he sees it and he gives me a red card. I’m disappointed with it.
“I feel I take the ball and with my momentum I can’t really do anything else but go into Kenny.
“I go to win the ball and lunge in, and actually take the ball, and I’ve bent my leg to brace for impact, rather than having a straight leg.
“If I [go with a] straight leg then I think Kenny’s in a world of trouble. But there’s no intent there.
PANICKED
“I’ve panicked because I took a bad touch and I’m obviously trying to toe-end the ball.
“My momentum goes from that to me having to lift my foot or else my foot goes to ground and I do damage myself.”
Former SFA referee Charlie Richmond has since claimed that Rangers defender Rob Kieran also merited a red card for a lunging tackle on Steven Hammell that brought only a yellow from Collum, who moments earlier had sent-off Ibrox attacker Michael O’Halloran.
McDonald believes his tackle and Kiernan’s should both have been bookings – or both red cards.
Speaking to BBC Scotland, the 33-year-old added: “He [Kiernan] is coming from a further distance so the player can see it’s coming, but he’s out of control when he does go to ground.
“Should it have been a red card? If mine’s a red, there’s a possibility.
“But I think it’s a yellow card and I think mine’s a yellow card as well.”
