Steven Hammell in Rangers red card claim as Motherwell boss insists Leon King should've walked

Motherwell boss Steven Hammell is adamant Rangers should have been reduced to ten men at Fir Park.

The Steelmen were pushing for a leveller when Stuart McKinstry was brought crashing down by Leon King as the winger looked to break forward in a dangerous position. James Tavernier was tracking back, with referee David Dickinson only deeming the foul worthy of a yellow card.

But Hammell insists King should have walked for the excessive force he put into the challenge, with Motherwell going on to lose the match 2-1. Hammell said: "I think it's a red card. Not for where it is on the pitch and where Stuart is going to, that's up for debate. I think the actual tackle in isolation is poor. I think he catches him high and there's a lot of force in it. I think Stuart's lucky to come away from it without an injury.

“Would VAR see it? Maybe. It's up for debate. Maybe where it is on the pitch and where Stuart is running to, going into a goalscoring area, that's up for debate. The actual tackle, in isolation, no matter where that is on the pitch, it's a poor tackle.”

As well as being disappointed with Dickinson's decision not to show youngster King a red, Motherwell manager Hammell was also hugely disappointed with his side's defending for Rangers opening goal. Malik Tillman was given the freedom of Fir Park to waltz through and open the scoring, with John Lundstram eventually adding a second from a simple corner.

Hammell told Sky Sports Scotland: "We're disappointed with how the result played out. The two goals we concede are really poor. You speak about big moments in the game and fine margins, especially in difficult matches, and it's two poor goals we've conceded. The fact he (Malik) has been able to walk through with the ball