Lasley tweets apology for red-card tackle

Motherwell midfielder Keith Lasley has apologised to Aberdeen teenager Fraser Fyvie for the tackle that saw him carried off on a stretcher at Fir Park on Sunday.

Lasley’s late tackle caught the midfielder on the left ankle, which will be scanned when the swelling subsides.

Lasley, who was shown a straight red card for the tackle during Motherwell’s 2-1 William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat, took to Twitter to apologise to his opponent.

The 32-year-old said: “First of all apologies to Fraser for the tackle although I can assure everyone there was no malice in it and was genuine attempt for ball.”

The Scottish Football Association had not received referee Craig Thomson’s match report last nigh, but if, as expected, Lasley’s offence was deemed as serious foul play, he will automatically miss the next two matches.

That will see Lasley, who has been sent off twice against Hearts this season, miss Clydesdale Bank Premier League games against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock but receive no further punishment.

Motherwell centre-backs Shaun Hutchinson and Tim Clancy will also miss Aberdeen’s return to Fir Park on Saturday through suspension.

Meanwhile, Motherwell’s two-goal hero Rory Fallon believes Aberdeen are capable of claiming their first trophy since 1995 after advancing to the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals. The Dons will meet Hibernian on Saturday 14 April in a Hampden semi-final for a place in the final on 19 May.

Fallon, who scored a fourth-minute header and 41st-minute volley, said: “We feel we can beat anyone on our day. We’ve been doing well and grinding out results and hopefully we can do well in the semi. The way we’re playing we can take on anyone. We proved we could foot it with Celtic, so whether we got Celtic in the semi or the final, it doesn’t really matter to us.”