STEPHEN McMANUS has refused to blame the referee Willie Collum for sending him off in bizarre fashion against Aberdeen.

The Motherwell defender was shown a straight red by Collum in the dying minutes for a perceived deliberate handball on the line from a Jonny Hayes shot.

The reality of the situation was quite different, however. It was clear to see McManus could do little to prevent the fierce strike cannoning off him from point-blank range.

Adam Rooney stepped up to slot home the resultant penalty to give Aberdeen a 2-0 lead. Motherwell announced yesterday that they had lodged an appeal with the Scottish Football Association. The club will find out on Thursday if the card will be rescinded so that the experienced McManus won't miss out this weekend match at Dundee.

Despite the fuss and hassle Collum's decision has sparked, though, the Motherwell centre-half remained pragmatic when looking back on the decision.

He said: "I knew at the time it hit me on the shoulder, the evidence is there on TV. I don't even know who hit the shot but there was no way I was getting out of the way.

"My job is to get in there and block those kind of shots. I couldn't have got out the way if I'd tried anyway because the shot was hit so hard.

"I'm not going to sit and criticise the referee, he has a tough job to do, others might have an opinion. I was disappointed he gave the penalty but worse for me was the sending off.

"He didn't say anything to me other than the ball had hit me on the hand. I told him it hit me on the shoulder. That was it."

McManus also acknowledged the penalty probably would not have altered the outcome of the match, but he added: "I think with my reaction you could tell it hit me on the shoulder.

"It happened once at Paisley and it's happened again. Even if they hadn't have got the penalty they would have still have won the game 1-0, but it just kills it.

"The biggest disappointment for me is that there is a good chance I will miss the next game. I've been told the club will appeal so I hope that happens.

"I'm just disappointed with the decision."

Motherwell 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 evidence from our broadcast partners.

"We have already had feedback from the Association to confirm the hearing date of this Thursday, 8th January. We hope for and expect a positive outcome."

Speaking about the red card, the Motherwell manager Ian Baraclough claimed it would be a 'travesty' if McManus was to receive a suspension as a result of the sending off.

He said: "Stephen cannot get out the way of it, the shot has been struck with such velocity. He has not put his hand out, but the ball has hit him at the top of the arm, in line with the shoulder.

"To be sent off for that, and subsequently miss games further down the line for us, would be a travesty.

"To be fair, Willie has had to make a split-second decision. He doesn't get the benefit of a replay and, at times, referees get it wrong and you have to accept that.

"We're all human beings and we all make mistakes. It's no different to me as a manager making a wrong decision or a player taking the wrong option; it's part of the game.

"There were plenty of cameras at the match that show quite clearly what happened, so I would expect the appeal panel to look favourably on this one."

Looking back on the game, McManus was keen to accentuate the positives in what was the club's second defeat in three days.

Following up on the New Year's Day 5-0 hammering at Hamilton, Motherwell looked more stable, if not threatening, against table-topping Aberdeen.

"Especially after the defeat at Hamilton we wanted to react against Aberdeen," said McManus.

"We knew how well they were going and how well they were playing.

"We could have really struggled after losing the first goal but I thought we dug in and we certainly came into it as the second half wore on."

Meanwhile, Motherwell are closing in on extending the loan deal for on-loan Derby County defender Mark O'Brien.

The centre-half was originally on a short-term move from the Sky Bet , with that agreement expiring on Sunday.

Baraclough has been in discussions with County over keeping the Irishman for longer over the last week or so, and it is understood an agreement to keep him at Fir Park until the end of the season is close to being pushed over the line.