calderwood asks forward to ‘channel his aggression’ as sfa confirm they will examine footage
By Paul Third
Published: 19/08/2008
Aberdeen will fight any attempt by the Scottish Football Association to discipline striker Tommy Wright.
The SFA confirmed yesterday it will study footage of the incident which showed the new Dons forward going head to head with Motherwell defender Stephen Craigan.
Wright escaped punishment following his collision with the Well defender but was booked by referee Charlie Richmond for a foul on Stevie Hammell seconds later.
A spokeswoman for the SFA said: “If the footage shows any acts of misconduct, that were perhaps missed by the match officials, we will deal with it.
“The footage would have to be clear-cut – but there have been incidences in the past when players were banned on the strength of video evidence.â€
Television replays of the incident, in which Wright is alleged to have butted Craigan, appear inconclusive and Dons manager Jimmy Calderwood insists he will not ask the player to curtail his aggression on the field.
He said: “Tommy is a young lad but he has a responsibility to the club, to his team-mates and to himself. This game is hard enough when it is 11 against 11, but I don’t want to take the physical, enthusiastic side of Tommy’s game away from him.
“It was his first game, we had a great support there and the lad was desperate to do well.
“He came on and he did really well. He was very unlucky with his header as the goalkeeper made a great save, he made a great tackle after running across the Motherwell defence, then he got involved in some silly things for which he was booked.
“I’ve had a word with Tommy and told him he has to channel his aggression.
“If he misses games his bank balance will take a knock and he will miss games. He is here to play and he has to give himself a chance.â€
While Wright waits to hear if he will be free to face Rangers at Pittodrie on Saturday, Dons vice-captain Zander Diamond has been ruled out of the match with a thigh injury.
Diamond, who lasted just 20 minutes of the game on Saturday, is not expected to play again until after the international break on September 13.
Calderwood said: “Zander felt a tightness in his thigh and didn’t want to take any risks. Luckily enough it is not his ankle, but it is still a blow to be without him.
“He came off at the right time and hasn’t made the injury any worse. Hopefully, he should be back following the international break.
“The most important thing was that Zander didn’t try to play through the pain which would have made it worse. It’s still frustrating, though, especially with Rangers coming up on Saturday as he is a strong presence physically.â€
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