Motherwell boss Graham Alexander felt Liam Donnelly red card against Hibs was 'harsh'

Motherwell boss Graham Alexander felt the red card shown to Liam Donnelly was harsh and insisted his team did enough to win the game against Hibs.

Donnelly was dismissed in the 73rd minute after a clumsy tackle on Drey Wright which earned him a second yellow, but Hibs failed to capitalise and had to settle for a point in a game of few chances at either end.

Alexander himself was sent off for complaining about the red card and later explained why he was unhappy.

“I thought the second one was harsh,” he said. “Liam has probably made two fouls all game. I saw their centre-halves making foul after foul in the first half and just a warning. That was where my frustration was.

Motherwell manager Graham Alexander

‘After having a really clean game, to get a player sent off for that in game between two teams who had both competed really well… I didn’t see any maliciousness all game.

“I think it’s a harsh decision and I made my view point.”

The result means Shaun Maloney’s men remain two points behind fourth-placed Motherwell. Alexander felt his team did enough to win the game, even though they played out the last 20 minutes with ten men.

He added: “We held out with ten men, but it wasn’t holding out before that. We were the team who had the chances, made their keeper make senses. I don’t think we conceded a shot on target so I thought we played really well.

“When it goes to men men, it’s tough but even then we threatened to score the winner a couple of times. I’m really proud of my players tonight. I thought they were excellent against a very good team. A point was the least we deserved.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.