UNITED FAIL TO SCORE IN RED ZONE

ALLAN JOHNSTON insists referee Bobby Madden was “conned” into sending off Lee Ashcroft in Dunfermline’s play-off stalemate.

And he revealed Pars will appeal the decision with the SFA ahead of Friday’s second leg at Tannadice.

The home support were incensed by the second-half flashpoint and Johnston is hopeful Madden admits his mistake to allow Ashcroft to play.

The Fifers boss watched footage of the incident back after the full-time whistle and insists it should never have been a red.

He said: “I have seen it again and it’s never a sending off so we will be appealing it. Hopefully the referee will look at it and see it’s a poor decision.

“He has said it was for denying a goalscoring opportunity but I don’t know how that can be.

“Lee got his body in the way and Scott McDonald has fallen down. The ref ’s been conned a bit and the decision cost us dear.

“We will put the appeal in and hopefully they will realise it’s a mistake and common sense will prevail.”

Dunfermline hit the bar with a first-half header from Declan McManus and tested United keeper Deniz Mehmet with a Fraser Aird shot and a Nicky Clark header after the break.

Johnston said: “The boys gave everything, especially when we had 11 players on the pitch.

“The performance was really good, we created chances and we were unlucky we didn’t score.

“It’s become a shootout on the night now, so hopefully we can go there and put on another good performance.”

This was a game neither wanted at the start of the season.

Both had their eye on winning the title but were left trailing by St Mirren, so it was left to this backdoor route to promotion.

Having not even been able to take second from Livingston, they faced the gruelling prospect of six matches on the road back to the top flight.

United have invested heavily in their squad in an attempt to go back up in their second year in the Championship.

Finishing third was the first failure for a team that sacked Ray McKinnon in search of the magic they thought Csaba Laszlo could bring.

For Dunfermline, this was the least of their expectations. Having topped the table earlier in the season, they wanted more but had to settle for this second chance at promotion.

Winger Aird was their form man in the weekend’s 4-0 win over Dumbarton, laying on two and scoring one himself, and he was again to the fore early on.

In 10 minutes, the former Rangers player slung over a cross from the left that sparked panic in the United defence.

But when the ball fell to striker Clark, he slipped at the wrong moment and the half chance disappeared.

The Pars were forced into a change in 25 minutes when Andy Ryan went down injured and was replaced by McManus.

He was instantly into the thick of the action as he appealed for a penalty for a push when trying to reach Clark’s low centre.

Then he was then chopped down by Bilel Mohsni 25 yards out but Aird sparked groans in the home support as he skewed his free-kick over the top.

McManus came closest to a breakthrough seven minutes from half-time when his header crashed off the bar and Clark failed to knock in the rebound.

Dunfermline were building up a head of steam and Stewart Murdoch had to deny McManus with a last-ditch tackle.

But United burst to life right on half-time when Scott Fraser’s volley was deflected wide.

Pars were on the front foot at the start of the second half and Clark will feel he should have