Stuart Kettlewell: Motherwell penalty snub could be used as training aid

Stuart Kettlewell believes the penalty snub Motherwell received in Saturday’s 4-3 William Hill Premiership win over Dundee United could be used as a training aid for officials in a bid to reach correct decisions.

The Fir Park boss remains adamant that his side should have been awarded a spot-kick at 3-1 when United’s Luca Stephenson caught Steve Seddon inside the box, but referee Nick Walsh did not point to the spot.

Kettlewell, who watched the game from the stand as he was suspended, revealed he had a “really good conversation” with Scottish Football Association head of referees Willie Collum about several “main incidents” in the game and insisted both men were on the same page.

The Well manager looks forward to later discovering the findings of the KMI (key match incidents) Panel, who deliver an assessment of KMIs in the Premiership.

Ahead of the home game against Kilmarnock on Friday night, Kettlewell, speaking in a week where VAR is the talk of Scottish football after Rangers were denied a penalty claim in their Premier Sports Cup final defeat against Celtic, said: “Let’s see at the end of this week, when the KMI report comes out.

“I kind of said to Willie that the conversation stays in-house between myself and him, but I think the real simple fact that I would be prepared to put on it was that we’ve seen all the incidents the same way.

“And I think everybody knows our feeling, as a football club, that I probably felt it was as clear a penalty as you were going to see on Saturday and I still think that’s the case – so it was one we missed.

“If we relate it back to the Seddon incident – which I’m sure will be in there – I would be stunned if that doesn’t come out as a 5-0 in favour of, it should have been a penalty kick.

“We had to start with better communication, better understanding from both parties and I feel that that’s the direction that we’re travelling in just now.

“I think what you’ll see moving forward is that (Seddon incident) might potentially be an incident that will be used as training, because this is another thing.

“We train our players. We make a mistake. We go and we train and we go and try and improve through the week. That that’s how it works.

“And I think it’s the same for the officials.

“So I would be fairly certain that what they do is they use a lot of these incidents to say that if we are seeing that type of scenario, then this should be the outcome that we’re looking at, at the end of that.”