MOTHERWELL have confirmed they have appealed the red card shown to Scott McDonald during Saturday's Premiership defeat to St Mirren.
The striker was sent off for allegedly elbowing Thomas Reilly in the second half of the Paisley clash as Ian Baraclough's side were condemned to the top flight relegation play-off place.
The Steelmen have now lodged an appeal with the SFA in a bid to have the red card, and the three-game ban for violent conduct, wiped from the record books.
If Well are unsuccessful, McDonald will miss the final league game of the season against Partick Thistle on Saturday as well as the Premiership shoot-out against Rangers or Hibernian later this month.
Boss Ian Baraclough said: "I am massively disappointed as it was a poor decision in my eyes.
"Scott's absolutely not that type of player. I saw it with my own eyes at the time and I never had any thoughts whatsoever that it would even be a foul, let alone a red card.
"Having watched it back again several times, I think it's fairly clear for everyone to see that he hasn't gone with any aggression or attempted to hurt the player and that's the view of the lad Reilly himself, who I was pleased to read today thinks it was an incorrect decision.
"For me, it's a case of a striker doing what he should do, making his body as big as it can be to try and shield the ball. There was no excessive force used, no violence in my eyes and that is the foundation for our appeal."
The loss of McDonald would be a huge blow to Baraclough's side as they look to retain their top flight status this term.
The Aussie has been in superb form for the Steelmen since returning to Fir Park earlier this year and was left incensed when Brian Colvin showed him a straight red for the controversial incident on Saturday.
General Manager Alan Burrows said: "Our Football Administrator Karen Paterson has already submitted a Player Reference for Fast Tracking proceeding to the Compliance Officer, and will follow that with the relevant evidence tomorrow.
"We had what I felt was a very fair and thorough experience when we appealed Stephen McManus' red card in January and I expect the same again this week."
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