Motherwell 'miles off it', admits boss as they crash out of the Scottish Cup
Stuart Kettlewell admits Motherwell were ‘miles off it’ as they crashed out of the Scottish Cup fourth round against St Johnstone.
And the Fir Park boss says fans were right to boo his side at the end of a disappointing encounter at McDiarmid Park.
St Johnstone bagged their winner nine minutes into the game when Makenzie Kirk slammed home when Motherwell failed to clear a corner.
The Steelmen didn’t really trouble Saints keeper Andy Fisher, and the Perth side eased through to the last-16 draw on Monday, while Motherwell have won just one of their last eight games.
Kettlewell said: “We were miles from where we need to be, especially in the first half.
“Our reactions were horrendous on the pitch and that can make your body language look poor.
“We didn’t carry any threat whatsoever.
“The players reacted in the second half and we had the ball a lot, but we didn’t have anywhere near enough quality.
“We didn’t carve out chances and make the most of that territory.”
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On fans’ reactions, Kettlewell said: “I can’t control that. The only way you can is by winning the game and getting into the next round.
“At times, we have had a negative reaction when we won games.
“I think back to Aberdeen a few weeks ago and we still got a negative reaction to scenarios in the game when we found ourselves 2-0 up.
“That’s Scottish football. That’s football in general.
“I’ve just said to the players - and I want to be clear about this - what’s gone before, what you’ve done before and where you sit in the league doesn’t matter.
“It’s down to what you do today. Making excuses about us having nine players out, that you’d make a case for them playing, none of that matters.
“It’s just excuses. How the supporters react is going to be down to the score, sometimes the performance.
“That’s ultimately how it goes as a footballer. You either suck that up and you realise that’s what it is and you react positively or you disappear into your shell.”
