Pundit Michael Stewart felt Celtic should have had two penalties against Hibernian during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the Edinburgh side at Easter Road, speaking on BBC Scotland (28/09 live match page 13:58 & 14:08).
The standard of refereeing was substandard throughout the 90 minutes, with neither manager particularly happy with the performance of referee Kevin Clancy.
Neil Lennon criticised the whistler for missing penalty claims (The Daily Record). Paul Heckingbottom meanwhile was left incensed that Olivier Ntcham was not sent off (The Evening Times).
One of the more glaring incidents was a lunging Ryan Stevenson challenge on Ryan Christie in the box that looked to be a stonewall penalty.
With Moritz Bauer also apparently fouled by Daryl Horgan, should the Hoops have received an opportunity to get ahead in the match from the 12 yard mark?
BBC pundit Stewart felt that both should have been given, speaking on Sportsound (28/09 live match page 13:58), he said of the first incident: “Lewis Stevenson has got away with one there, he’s very lucky. He shouldn’t have gone in there. He didn’t need to commit, he could’ve blocked it without making a lunging tackle.”
Then, when Bauer was challenged, he blasted the SFA officials, telling the broadcaster (28/09 live match page 14:08): “That’s another one. It looks a penalty to me. You could see it happening before it did. Horgan dangles his right leg and to me, he runs a massive risk.
“It’s been a poor afternoon for the officials. They’re giving things that shouldn’t be given and not awarding other things. It’s not just Kevin Clancy, it’s all the officials. We can see these decisions from the stands.”
Frustrating afternoon
Clearly the officials did not have their best day, with two managers and a prominent pundit in agreement that serious incidents were not acted upon. It’s especially frustrating that it occurred in such a tight match.
Regardless, Celtic should and could have found a way to win. We know officiating in Scottish football is notoriously inconsistent. It’s on the team to rise above that and pick up the three points.
The Hoops aren’t going to win every match this season and the 1-1 draw won’t knock us off our current course. Hopefully Lennon and his players learn from mistakes made and get back to winning ways in domestic and European football over the next week.
Now just a point ahead in the Scottish Premiership, next week’s trip to Livingston just got a whole lot bigger.
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