Inverness boss Foran unhappy with controversial goal in defeat at Motherwell

Inverness manager Richie Foran claimed the assistant referee who gave Motherwell's crucial third goal at Fir Park had no right to make such a decision.

David McGeachie flagged for a goal after Scott McDonald's header hit off the inside of the post and was scooped up by Caley Thistle goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams.

Inverness had clawed their way back from two goals down thanks to Alex Fisher's double before the 65th-minute controversy at Fir Park, and Allan Campbell headed the final goal of the afternoon five minutes later to make it 4-2 for the hosts.

Motherwell moved seven points ahead of their visitors, who are now five points adrift of Dundee at the foot of the Premiership.

Foran said: “I couldn't see it. I was as far away from it as the linesman who gave it. My players are adamant it hasn't crossed the line and one of their players, who was right beside it, has just told me in the corridor that it definitely didn't go over the line. It kills us.

“You have got to be 100 per cent correct and he was obviously wrong. He has played a big part in the outcome of this game.

“This won't affect the linesman. He's not going to phone me during the week and apologise, he will just get on with it. He has made a mistake, doesn't understand the consequences for us. Probably doesn't care, I don't know, I don't him personally. Maybe he wants to make a name for himself.”

Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson had not seen the goal again before speaking to the media but he felt his side were owed some fortune after having goal appeals denied against Dundee earlier in the season, and Hamilton earlier this month.

Robinson said: “Considering we had a goal disallowed when it was about four yards over the line, that's probably a little bit of justice for us. Listen, the referees have got such a difficult decision. I have said it 100 times, they need help.

“But maybe that's a little bit of luck that we deserved and I think we earned it. We would have still won the game 3-2.”

Robinson made an important intervention after Fisher's 54th-minute equaliser when he brought on Lionel Ainsworth and moved to a 4-4-2.

He added: “We showed a lot of character and the young boy actually led us on, Allan Campbell. He was terrific and he drove us on.”

Foran's future was the subject of speculation in midweek but he absolved himself of blame for his side's latest defeat.

They got off to a terrible start when Chris Cadden cut inside Carl Tremarco, who soon went off injured, to hit an early opener, and Fon Williams let in Moult's cross in the ninth minute. But they dominated much of the first half.

“To go two goals down so early on is embarrassing,” Foran said. “The first one, show the wide man down the line like you tell 10-year-olds. We show him inside, he bends one in. Second one, a cross hung up, your goalkeeper doesn't go and catch.

“I don't know if there is much I can do about that, I don't know if there's anything I can do. I can't take a lot of blame for that. I have taken a lot of blame for games over the season, but not for today.”

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