St Mirren boss Jack Ross unhappy with referee following defeat
St Mirren boss Jack Ross says he will not hold his breath waiting for an apology from referee Craig Charleston after his Tannadice blunder.
St Mirren boss Jack Ross says he will not hold his breath waiting for an apology from referee Craig Charleston after his Tannadice blunder.
Saints were looking to boost their Championship survival hopes by extending their seven-match unbeaten run against Dundee United.
But they slumped to a 3-2 defeat after Charleston waved play on in the lead up to Thomas Mikkelsen's opener despite the Dane wiping out Buddies midfielder Gary MacKenzie in the build-up.
Despite bravely fighting back twice as MacKenzie and Josh Todd netted either side of Tony Andreu's strike for the Terrors, the Paisley men were left frustrated as Blair Spittal smashed home the winner with just seconds remaining.
But what really annoyed Ross was Charleston's post-match comments, where he is alleged to have told the manager that his ninth-placed Saints will find a way to safety in their final two games of the season.
Ross told his club's official website: "It's very simple - it's a free-kick. I don't think there's anybody in the stadium who doesn't think it's a free-kick, other than the match officials.
"Anyone who watches it back, as I have done already, knows it's a free-kick.
"The game doesn't finish 1-0 but it still has a determining factor. We lose a goal and it influences the game. We're then left playing catch-up.
"I hope when the referee watches it back he might change his mind.
"I'm a bit disappointed with some of his comments at the end of the game. I don't think my performance or where my team is going is of any relevance to him. His focus should be on getting decisions right on the pitch.
"I'm big enough and man enough to admit when I make mistakes. I'm not sure that will come from the referee but we will wait and see."
The win was good enough to book United's play-off slot and they will be joined in the promotion hunt by Morton after they claimed a 1-1 draw with Ayr at Cappielow.
Lawrence Shankland slotted Ton ahead with a clinical finish but they were pegged back just before half-time when Craig Moore levelled.
Falkirk tightened their grip on second place with a 2-1 win over Dunfermline. Nicky Clark gave the Pars a first-half lead but a controversial penalty award allowed Aaron Muirhead to level up for the Bairns before Nathan Austin snatched the points for Peter Houston's outfit.
Dumbarton took a step closer to maintaining their Championship status with a 2-1 win over Queen of the South. They now sit three points above the relegation play-off spot with two games to play after Sam Stanton and Robert Thomson responded with strikes following Stephen Dobbie's opener.