Callum Slattery knows he must clean up his act on the pitch this season - but he insists he’ll never shirk a 50/50.
The Motherwell midfielder topped the charts for most yellow cards in the Premiership in the last campaign with 14 - a year after coming second in the bad boy table with 12. Local jokers claim Slattery gets more bookings than Motherwell Concert Hall but even the midfielder admits he’s sick of having to face the music with refs.
The 24-year-old was sidelined by suspension on two occasions although he maintains the double yellow that saw him ordered off against Rangers in March was harsh. But lessons have been learned and after kicking off the current campaign with two blemish-free appearances Slattery hopes to continue his clean streak. He said: “I never knew I topped that chart for bookings. That’s not something I’m proud of really. Hopefully it won’t be the case this season. There’s lessons to be learned. I’ll be conscious of going into certain tackles. Not pulling out but I know more what I can’t get away with. It’s more petty fouls and things like that you need to be conscious of.
“I’ll not change my game and pull out of 50/50s. It’s more about the continuous little ones that get you booked - maybe if there’s three or four in a row it gets you a yellow card.
“I need to be aware of that. I had two suspensions last year and that’s frustrating. Maybe they were harsh. But that’s the way football is. It puts a halt on things and jolts the run of form you might be in. So I’m definitely looking to bring that down.”
While the former Southampton midfielder is looking to bring his booking count down he’s also determined to drive another stat up - his goal tally. Slattery slammed home a cracker in the 3-3 draw with
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Callum Slattery