By grabar
November 11 2010

Ahead of this Saturday’s game with Hibs at Easter Rd, their boss Colin Calderwood has apologised about comments he made when he was manager of Nottingham Forest about the death of Motherwell midfielder Phil O'Donnell.

Forest opted not to have a minute's silence ahead of their New Year's Day match with Huddersfield in 2008, with Calderwood saying at the time, "The fact that it was a boy in Scotland, does that make it any different to a boy in Colombia?"

 

Calderwood said today, "It's something that has caused offence and for that I can only apologise, I played with Phil and I apologise, especially to his family. They are the ones we should always show respect to."

 

Motherwell fans had demanded such an apology ahead of their side's Scottish Premier League visit to Easter Road on Saturday.

 

Motherwell Legend O'Donnell collapsed and died during a game against Dundee United on 29 December 2007 just as he was about to be substituted.

 

However, in response to suggestions that his comments had offended O'Donnell's family, the Hibs boss said: "If it caused any of them distress then that would worry me greatly and I apologise to them now.

 

"The Motherwell fans have taken this on and I can only say it was never meant to cause offence and I apologise to them now."

 

Hopefully this will put an end to what was a bit of a tawdry story and a line can be drawn under the affair and things will pass of peacefully at Easter Rd on Saturday.