Stuart Kettlewell ‘can’t control narrative’ on Motherwell return with Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell stressed he would not get distracted by the hype surrounding his first trip back to Fir Park since he quit as Motherwell boss.

Kettlewell takes his Killie side to face Motherwell on Saturday seven months after his sudden departure in controversial circumstances.

Motherwell cited “personal abuse” from supporters towards Kettlewell as the reason he left after feeling his family could no longer attend games.

Some supporters felt the fan base had been unfairly tarnished by the statement and Kettlewell’s subsequent media interviews, although he later stressed it was a minority of fans and that he received support from others even after leaving.

Motherwell fans are enjoying life under Jens Berthel Askou so far and the game has plenty of positivity surrounding it given both sides are unbeaten in their first eight games. But the return of Kettlewell will undoubtedly add an extra edge to proceedings.

When asked if the way his spell ended would make it different from going back to other former clubs, Kettlewell said: “It might be for some people, it’s certainly not for myself.

“I said it when I came out, I certainly don’t wish Motherwell any ill health or bad luck or anything like that at all. But I’ve firmly got a job to do here at Kilmarnock.

“I can’t really control what narrative people will put on it. I think we could all see that there was a lot of support towards myself, from the fan base, from the staff, from the players.

“But ultimately they move on and I move on and that’s how I see it in football. We can see how tumultuous this can be in Scotland, in football, and how opinions and thought processes and everything change. Again, I can’t control it at all.

“From my side, I want to go and try and win three points with this Kilmarnock side, with the backing of the supporters, and we see what happens at three o’clock on Saturday. So I’ll not get too lost in it, but I understand other people might do.

“This isn’t about me, it’s really not about me. It’s about the players that are going to be on the pitch.”

Kettlewell, who has a fitness doubt over Jamie Brandon, added: “The last time I saw a lot of the people that will be there was at my wedding. So I think that gives you an indication of the relationship that I had with players and staff and everybody else.

“So from that side of it, it’s always nice to see friends and people that you would speak to and socialise with. But ultimately Motherwell will be trying to win the game of football and so will we.

“I’m very much invested in the job that I’ve got here and I think we’ve got a big task to go and try and win the game on Saturday, because they’ve started well and they’re playing well.

“Looking at how they play, it presents a different challenge, a different thought process.

“You want to challenge yourself with different tasks, different styles of football, pitting your wits against different managers and I think that will be the case this weekend.”