Terry Butcher aghast at defeat to Motherwell
Last updated on .From the section Football
Motherwell's dramatic late win was hard for Inverness Caley Thistle manager Terry Butcher to accept.
His team twice led the Steelmen but they had defender Chris Hogg sent off for bringing down Jamie Murphy and lost to Tom Hateley's subsequent free-kick.
"The boys are stunned in the dressing room. I'm just sick," said Butcher.
"We were rampant. We dominated both halves, they scored from three efforts, we've had a laughable sending-off and we haven't got anything from the game."
And Butcher, whose team remain at the foot of the Scottish Premier League table, added: "It was our best performance of the season by a mile and we've got nothing from it.
"We've played a lot worse than that and won.
"We have dominated a team that is second in the league. We should have won this match comfortably."
Motherwell's Shaun Hutchinson had cancelled out David Davis's opener with a header before half-time.
In the second period, Andrew Shinnie gave Inverness a deserved 2-1 lead but Keith Lasley immediately levelled the match with a long-range shot as the Highlanders backed off.
And Butcher was left fuming when his defender Hogg was shown a straight red card for hauling down Murphy as he sped for goal, despite the presence of fellow defenders.
Hateley scored the winner from the free-kick.
The manager added: "We've got men around the ball. He's got a shot on goal, yes, but from 25 yards.
"If that is a clear and obvious goalscoring opportunity I do not know what is.
"We are sick and tired of decisions going against us. We will be appealing that decision because that was just laughable. That decision has cost us the game. Up until then we were fine.
"You can't ask these boys to give any more.
"Gregory Tade hit the bar when it was easier to score. We got through them, round them, in amongst them and we haven't even got a point from it."
One bright spot for Butcher was the return of crowd-pleaser Jonny Hayes, though he had an unfortunate role in Motherwell's clincher.
"The winning goal was going wide, but it hit him in the face and went in the net," said an exasperated Butcher.
"We are due a tanker-load of luck because the stuff that has gone against us this season has been unbelievable."
