A selection of Thursday's press reports seem to leave no doubt that a number of idiots in the Main Stand behaved in a manner which fills every football fan with disgust and anger. Thankfully, the reports also note that supporters in the vicinity were quick to point out the offenders to the police and our thanks are due to them for reflecting the views of the vast majority.
The police and stewards should now provide an explanation if no one was thrown out of the ground. It is understood that there was no mention of the incident when those charged with crowd safety reported to the club after the match. A club spokesman said on Thursday morning, "The club will be investigating these reports and if it can identify any culprits it will take the strongest possible measures against them. Disgusting behaviour of this type has no place in
Motherwell fans, while despondent, depressed and disappointed in the team's showing, recognise that we were beaten by a better team on the night and wish St Johnstone further success in the competition and hope that Jason Scotland recognises that the racist bigots who have brought shame on our club are not in any way typical of Motherwell fans in general.
A selection from Thursday's press….
The Herald
Sadly, the opening stages were marred by disgraceful racist chanting directed at Jason Scotland, the black St Johnstone striker, from a small section of the main stand.
Monkey noises accompanied his first two touches though the Motherwell fans, to their credit, were quick to alert the police to the matter and it soon ceased. But the perpetrators were not ejected and the club may not have heard the last of the matter.
In scenes harking back to the bad old days, the man who helped front the Show Racism the Red Card campaign and was backed by this country when with Trinidad and Tobago in last summer's World Cup, was taunted by monkey chants during what was otherwise a fantastic occasion at Fir Park.
Referring to the treatment he received, the front man said, "I am disappointed because I have carried the name of
Daily Record
Motherwell fans within earshot summoned stewards and demanded offenders be watched and rooted out. It was a fine example of self-policing from the home fans.
Daily Mail
However, the evening was soured by the home fans' chants at the beginning of the game and the SFA are sure to investigate following the ugly scenes.
Around a dozen home 'supporters' began making monkey noises towards the
The incident sparked ugly scenes within the main stand as outraged fellow Motherwell fans rounded on the racists.
The angry supporters quickly reported the small group to stewards and although they were not ejected from the ground, there was no more abuse directed at the player.
The Guardian
Jason Scotland enjoyed the last word towards a moronic element of the Motherwell support, the St Johnstone striker scoring the decisive goal here after racist chanting was directed towards him in the early stages of the game.
The opening stages were conspicuous for two things: St Johnstone's willingness to take the game to their opponents and the sickening abuse directed towards