Six-match ban for Kettlewell after confrontation with match official

0 Stuart Kettlewell: Flare-up. Ross County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell has been handed a six-game dugout ban after being found guilty by the Scottish FA of aggressively “making contact with a match official”.

The incident happened during the 4 January defeat at Morton and is thought to have involved fourth official Craig Napier.

A separate charge of “misconduct” was also proven.

The former Staggies midfielder was sent to the stand during the Cappielow match after a flare-up with Morton midfielder Chris Millar, who was booked along with County’s Michael Gardyne.

Following a hearing at Hampden yesterday, the disciplinary panel meted out an immediate three-game ban alongside a further three which are suspended until the end of the year.

Kettlewell, whose side lead the Championship by three points over Ayr United, will now be banned from the technical area for Monday’s Scottish Cup fifth-round clash with Highland rivals Inverness, next Friday’s Irn-bru Cup semi-final against East Fife and the 23 February league trip to Partick Thistle.

Confirming the ban, a Ross County spokesperson said: “It is clearly Stuart’s priority to focus on the fixtures against ICT and East Fife in the next week and for the remainder of the season.

“Stuart has received a sixmatch suspension applied as follows: three matches immediate and three matches suspended until 31 December.”

0 Jack Baird: Emotion.

and that he wants to play.

“I didn’t speak to him at half-time, I didn’t speak to him after the game. Just from experience, I let the dust settle overnight and I pulled him this morning for a chat in the office.

“We had a good chat and he is fully understanding and fully accepting of why it happened, but fully honest to say he just wants to play football. People say he didn’t shake my hand, and it’s disrespectful, but I don’t buy into that. It was just red mist at that point and pure rage.” Captain Stephen Mcginn went off with a hamstring injury as the Buddies fell three points adrift at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership and the midfielder is certain to miss Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup tie against Dundee United.

“We checked him out and the hamstring is still quite sore,” Kearney said. “It’s early days. I think we got him off the pitch early enough, which is a positive, but it will probably be a few days before we know the extent.”