Joe Wright has dismissed notions of Kilmarnock being “a dirty team”, despite their poor disciplinary record this season.
Derek McInnes’ side have received six red cards in total this season, with Liam Donnelly suspended for Saturday’s match against Dundee having been sent off in the defeat by St Johnstone last weekend.
Wright has been responsible for two of the six dismissals, and was shown red in Perth last time out before a VAR intervention saw the decision downgraded to yellow.
“Obviously I’ve had a couple myself, which I’ve taken accountability for and have tried my best to learn from that,” Wright said, when asked about the issues Killie have had.
“And I just think that’s what we’ve got to do as a group, learn from those mistakes.
“Obviously it’s frustrating for the people that are getting sent off, but more so for the team, the support and the management.
“It’s something I’ve never had an issue with before. Before this season, I had one red card in my whole career.
“So I wouldn’t say we’re a dirty team or anything like that, I just think it’s, it’s been a bit like London buses, they have just all come at once.”
Wright says he is now trying to avoid diving into challenges as readily as he “adapts” his game to avoid further run-ins with referees.
“I have had a chat with the manager,” he said. “He just spoke to me about getting back to how I was last season. I don’t even think I really pick up that many yellows normally.
“So for myself to pick up two red cards in such a short space of time is something that I’ve tried to learn from, take accountability for and just address the way I train as well. I’ve tried to make sure that I stay on my feet more, probably adapting a little bit to try and help myself on match days.
“Just trying to maybe slow people down a bit more. I’m a defender that likes to be aggressive, likes to put players under pressure, but I think there’s times where I’ve just adapted that a little bit.”