Ross County boss Don Cowie isn’t happy after watching his team suffer a late 2-1 defeat to Celtic on Sunday afternoon.
The Staggies had taken the lead in the match with a Ronan Hale penalty after Liam Scales handled the ball in the Celtic box during the first half.
However, a close-range goal from Alistair Johnston and a superb 87th-minute finish from Nicolas Kuhn delivered another important three points for the Bhoys.
In the aftermath, Cowie was clearly disappointed, lamenting that they had managed to stay level or ahead for the vast majority of the match before falling short.
He also aimed criticism at referee Kevin Clancy for awarding the free-kick that led to Kuhn’s winner.
Kevin Clancy waves off Don Cowie Celtic complaint
The Ross County boss said [Press & Journal]: “It was disappointing for the players with the effort they have put in again. They kept a top-quality side relatively quiet in terms of real goalscoring opportunities.
“We said beforehand it was about being compact, with good concentration levels, which I saw in abundance in the group. The equaliser was a bit fortunate, it was a bit of a ricochet.
“For me, they score a goal from a free-kick which was never a foul in the middle of the pitch. Jordan put his foot out but made no contact with Luke McCowan. He then lost the ball, and they got a free-kick.
At that stage, we were a little bit out of shape, and a good team punishes you which is what happened.
“With my eye at the time I didn’t think it was a free kick, and I’ve seen it again and it’s not. We can still react and prevent the goal, but it’s disappointing that the decision goes against us. I asked the referee about it and got no response. He’s got his opinion, and I’ve got mine.”
Luke McCowan was clearly clipped
I have to disagree with Cowie here. He’s hurting, which is understandable, so perhaps this is all just coming out in the heat of the moment but replays do show contact on Luke McCowan.
He may think it was a soft free-kick, as is his right, but it’s untrue that there was ‘no contact’ as he says.
Ultimately, Ross County switched off, and that’s what allowed Celtic to score, not a routine free-kick well across the halfway line.
It’s a bit churlish to raise it as a point of contention, but managers often raise these issues to deflect attention away from players and frustration with performance.
