Motherwell fail to challenge Carl McHugh red card

McHugh was dismissed early in the second half with the game still tied at 0-0

Motherwell have decided not to go ahead with an appeal against Carl McHugh's sending-off.

Manager Mark McGhee said the midfielder's red card for a challenge on Don Cowie during Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Hearts was "ridiculous".

"We'll be appealing it all right," McGhee told BBC Scotland.

However, there was no submission to the Scottish FA before Monday's 15:00 GMT deadline, which means McHugh will miss games against Aberdeen and Celtic.

Last week, Motherwell failed with an appeal against Scott McDonald's dismissal for a similar tackle on Rangers striker Kenny Miller, although the Australian did score in a 2-1 win at Ross County while his case was waiting to be examined.

On McHugh's 53rd-minute sending off, with the game at 0-0, McGhee said: "It's just a ridiculous decision. I think it's less of a sending-off than Scott McDonald's."

Matches on deadline day? 'Mental'

Meanwhile, McDonald has questioned the logic of holding matches on transfer deadline days.

The 33-year-old missed out on a return to his homeland when a possible move to Sydney Wanderers resurfaced on the evening of 'Well's win in Dingwall.

"In the end, time ran out for all parties," he told BBC Scotland

"I'm glad it's done with now since it was quite an unsettling time for me and my family.

"You might as well get rid of the month's window and make it a week because everything gets done at the last minute.

"To have games on when the window was shutting is just mental. How are you meant to get business done?

"It was more or less done for me then it came through that something might happen from the club's end, which would open the door for me to leave.

"Either way, I was going to be easy about it. I'll just get on with it now and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season."