Gannon fumes at ref after Motherwell defeat

Motherwell manager, Jim Gannon, was left red-faced after his side lost 1-0 to Albanian minnows KS Flamurtari last week. With Motherwell widely expected to trounced their opponents, Gannon was left searching for answers after the loss, and eventually settled on the referee as a scapegoat.

The target of Gannon’s ire was referee Fritz Stuchlik, who disallowed a penalty by John Sutton after ruling that a Motherwell player had encroached on the box as Sutton was in the process of netting the ball. Sutton failed to score off the subsequent shot, and Steven Hammell was promptly booked for disputing the decision.

“The explanation the referee gave our players was that one of their players had encroached,” an aggrieved Gannon told reporters after watching his side lose a match that should have ended in a draw. “None of our players had encroached. So the referee needs to have a look at the rules.”

Flamurtari responded to their reprieve by scoring a goal on 66 minutes, and will take a 1 goal lead into the away leg of their UEFA Cup qualifying tie.

“We all felt the change in atmosphere after the decision and it seemed to harden their players and their focus,” Gannon said. “But ultimately it was the goal that really lifted the crowd.”