Charleston’s taking charge of the whistle

Controversial referee Craig Charleston is set to be the man in the middle for St Mirren’s clash with Hearts Colts tomorrow.

The whistler was last in charge of a Saints clash back in April, where he drew the ire of St Mirren fans and manager Jack Ross in the wake of a puzzling display against Dundee United at Tannadice.

Charleston’s failure to spot a clear foul in the build up to Thomas Mikkleson’s opener, where the striker appeared to kick Gary MacKenzie in the stomach, saw the defender penalised for his protests, while Ross and Charleston also had a run in at half-time.

St Mirren would go on to lose the clash 2-1 following Blair Spittal’s late winner with just three weeks of the campaign remaining.

Charleston comes to Paisley for the second round Irn-Bru Cup clash, with Ross set to be sitting in the stands, having accepted an SFA touchline ban.

Elsewhere, last weekend’s ref, Kevin Clancy, takes a break from cup action, while Willie Collum heads to Tayside for the clash between Dundee United and Alloa Athletic.

Greg Aitken is the man in the middle for Robbie Horn’s first game in charge of Berwick Rangers as they face Queen of the Sough, and Mark Petch will officiate the tie between Spartans and Linfield.

The Irish side were originally drawn to face Albion Rovers, but the Coatbridge outfit have been expelled from the competition for fielding an ineligible player.