Jim Duffy Motherwell post-match reaction

Manager Jim Duffy admitted his depleted side experienced a difficult afternoon at Motherwell on Saturday as they suffered a 4-0 loss to the Premiership outfit in Betfred Cup Group F.

Reflecting on the 90 minutes, he said:

“It was a very difficult day for the players. Obviously coming here without so many recognised defenders was always going to be a test for us anyway.

“Losing a goal in the first few minutes put us on the backfoot. Ultimately, the game was decided early on by conceding those two goals and by the sending off.”

Gary Harkins was shown a straight red card, and the Ton boss did not agree with the decision, adding:

“No, I didn’t think it was a sending off, absolutely not. I think it was a yellow card possibly – possibly. The ball was about shin height and two players went in for it at the same time.

“I don’t think there was any contact whatsoever with the player and he was up in a few seconds, and I think the referee rushed over. At the end of the day he makes the call and it’s certainly not one I agreed with.

“I think it had a huge part to play in the overall aspect of how the game went, as it was one-sided then for Motherwell.”

New signing Connor McManus was handed his Morton debut in central defence, with his performance earning praise from Duffy.

“I thought Connor McManus did really well actually against really good, physical players. It was a difficult baptism, there’s no question about it, but overall he stood up to it well.”

Image: David Bell