The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
McCann despair at Moussa ‘goal’
DUNDEE 0 MOTHERWELL 1: Dark Blues frustrated by controversial call by ref
Dundee manager Neil McCann felt his team were on the end of another wrong refereeing decision as they lost to Motherwell at Dens last night.
What turned out to be the winning goal for Well came after just five minutes, with Craig Tanner firing past home goalkeeper Scott Bain.
Dark Blues striker Sofien Moussa looked to have equalised four minutes before the break with a header. However, ref Stephen Finnie chalked the “goal” off, apparently ruling that the Tunisian had laid a hand on the Steelmen’s Charles Dunne as the pair jumped for the ball.
That call came on the back of other disputed decisions at Celtic Park and Firhill in the last two games, leaving McCann frustrated to say the least.
“It is so hard as a manager to not lose your composure now,” said the manager.
“That is a number of – not even small – huge decisions that have gone against us recently. They have been big, game-changing decisions.
“Tonight Stephen Finnie said to me at half-time there had been a tiny or soft push, to paraphrase. If we are giving free-kicks for that then the game is stopping every two minutes.
“Clearly there are two men coming together because there’s a ball in the box. (Peter) Hartley is there, Moussa is then getting sandwiched from Dunne coming in so there is a coming together.
“I’ve watched it but there is no blatant push. There is a touch but that is not enough to give a free-kick so we have been robbed of what I think was a legitimate goal there.
“I can’t fathom it and it takes you all your strength and might not to lose it at the side of the pitch.
“That’s a goal that would have got us level going into the break and then coming back out looking to go for the winner.
“Instead, Motherwell could regroup at half-time with something to hold on to,” added the Dens gaffer.
“Sometimes it’s hard to take because there’s a really unjust feeling. It’s a tough job these referees have got but it’s a tough job that we have too.”
McCann felt his players took too long to get going in the game.
He said: “It was a really poor start from us, which was very unlike us – totally out of character.
“Our tempo of the game wasn’t right and our application wasn’t what it has been. We didn’t get going and lost such a poor, sloppy goal – it was disappointing.
“Not until the last five minutes of the first half did we start to play. We were clearly much better in the second half and I felt we controlled it.”
Well boss Stephen Robinson was delighted as his side moved up to third in the Premiership.
“I said (to the players) that’s the best result of the season,” said.
“The last two games we have pulled out two results. The good thing is we’re winning games and could play a lot better.