Caley Thistle midfielder Ross Draper will not change the way he plays despite fearing he has become an unfair target for referees.
Draper has picked up four yellow cards in just nine games this season, with the Englishman tasked with the role of breaking up opposition in midfield. Draper, who turns 26 on Monday, is determined not to let the prospect of a suspension affect his game.
Draper said: “You’re always after a fair game. Referees need to realise players can pick six bookings up very quickly, and then be out for a game. You’ll never get that game back.
“If I got booked in every game I would still play the same way because for me to take that out of my game, it would remove a large chunk of what I bring to the team. I don’t think it would be fair to the other players who are working their socks off if I was to pull out of challenges and go about my business in a different way.
“I won’t change my way of playing, it’s perhaps about being a bit cleverer in not throwing myself into tackles, and perhaps taking a step back. It’s a learning curve, sometimes I lose my head in the heat, but I’ll try to work on that.”
Draper maintains he has no issues with referees, but feels his 6ft 5in frame could be a factor in how officials react to challenges he makes and receives. He added: “I think the way people look at me because of my size and the way I go about my game, sometimes tackles look a lot worse than they are. Sometimes it’s my personality and maybe my moaning and groaning that makes it an easy option to give me a booking.
“There are tackles on me that sometimes go unpunished, but referees maybe think that I’m a big lad and I can look after myself.
“It should be fair, and consistency is what we’re after in referees but it’s tough and referees have a really hard job. There’s no problem towards them, I just want fairness.”