Robinson speaks out on relief after ‘ordeal’

MOTHERWELL manager Stephen Robinson has spoken of his relief over the fact that tonight’s home match against Ross County will be the first since the 1-0 win over Hearts on December 7 that he has been able to look forward to without the prospect of a criminal record hanging over him.

Six days after that success, Robinson, 45, became embroiled in a domestic abuse case. While visiting Edinburgh with his partner, Robyn Lauchlan, he was arrested following an alleged disturbance on Waverley Bridge.

He was charged with assault and breach of the peace at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on January 13, only to be acquitted on both counts by Sherifff John Cook last Friday. Robinson insists that his team’s eight-match winless sequence is unconnected with his “horrible” ordeal.

“Personally, it was an incredibly difficult period for me and my family and everyone involved but I don’t believe I brought it into my work and we didn’t speak about it openly,” he said. “People would like to make out that was the reason for results but we won four out of six when I initially had the problem and people have forgotten about that in their narrative.

“I’m just glad justice has been done and we’re able to draw a line under it. It’s a weight off my mind but it’s an experience I never want to repeat again because it was incredibly hard and horrible for my family, my partner and everyone involved in it.

“It was an issue away from football and I always believed justice would be done but I’ve never been involved in the justice system before so I didn’t know how it worked. But when you’re innocent you always have that belief. I tried to put it to the back of my mind and deal with it when I needed to and coming into the football club was a relief because I could concentrate on my job.

“I can put emotions to one side - I’m not the most emotional person in the world - and that’s what I did for those three months.”