Really

Lionel Ainsworth has said that the heavy defeat Motherwell inflicted on Rangers in the play-off final contributed to Bilel Mohsni’s violent outburst.

Rangers defender Mohsni, who has since left the Ibrox club, was handed a seven-match ban for punching and kicking Motherwell’s Lee Erwin at the end of the second leg match between the sides in May. Ainsworth and team-mate Craig Moore received two-match bans for their part in the incident.

Asked about the build-up and possible reasons for Mohsni’s actions, Ainsworth said that it may have been a reaction to the 6-1 aggregate defeat Motherwell had handed their opponents.

“It was probably the six goals we scored against Rangers and the way we played against them," he explained. “We dismembered them as a team.

“We applied ourselves properly and we did what we were told. We worked harder than them and that was it.

“I think the emotion of it: big club like Rangers and a little club like Motherwell, well we just did them with six goals. Lee Erwin said it himself, we’ve gone and battered them. That’s it.

“Everyone’s seen it and there’s a lot of happy fans out there. I’m happy myself and we’re still in the Premiership.“

Ainsworth said that he felt the seven-match suspension handed to Mohsni was fair and believes he could even have faced a stiffer penalty but said that now the decision had been made the player just had to deal with the consequences of his actions.

“It was correct," he said when asked about the length of Mohsni’s ban. “You can’t react like that no matter what anyone does or says.

“It’s unfortunate for him but he’s the one that’s reacted like that. He’s got to look at himself and he’s got to take it on the chin.

“[The ban] could have been longer, with it being on TV, with spectators around and him trying to confront [Erwin] again. Ridiculous scenes.

“You don’t want to see that in football and hopefully we won’t see that again."
Fair punishment

Mohsni had complained about provocation and said he believed Motherwell’s players should have been punished more severely for their part in the incident. Ainsworth himself was given a two-match suspension and said he accepted the sanction.

“Well, I feel I’ve been mistreated by getting two matches for a push but I’ve got to take it on the chin. That’s it at the end of the day."

“Probably the six goals we scored against Rangers and the way we played against them. We dismembered them as a team. We applied ourselves properly and we did what we were told. We worked harder than them and that was it.

“I think the emotion of it: big club like Rangers and a little club like Motherwell, well we just did them with six goals. Lee Erwin said it himself, we’ve gone and battered them. That’s it.

“Everyone’s seen it and there’s a lot of happy fans out there. I’m happy myself and we’re still in the Premiership.