Assistants no help to Kearney as calls go against him

ORAN Kearney insists both assistant referees cost St Mirren dearly as Kilmarnock remarkably came from behind for the fourth game running to move third in the table.

The Saints manager was astonished that Douglas Ross was able to judge that Aaron Tshibola’s header after 68 minutes had crossed the line.

And he was adamant that David Roome was wrong to flag Simeon Jackson offside two minutes later when John McGinn’s shot had been blocked by Jamie MacDonald and Jackson followed up to find the net.

Kearney said: “The two decisions are crazy. I can’t comment on their goal from the distance I was standing. But it’s one hell of a call if it’s the right call because the header comes at the back post where there is a huge amount of traffic.

“I’ll need to see it back but I can comment on the Simeon one and he’s onside by about two yards.

“We have our own footage and it’s the left back, Taylor, playing him on.

“That’s a momentum swinger. We would have had a real shot of adrenalin with 15 minutes to go and those are the ones that are really hard to take.” Saints produced their best form of the season in the first half and deservedly took the lead in 14 minutes, even if there was an element of fortune about it

They won a free kick on the left side of the box when Gregg Stewart barged into Ryan Flynn. Adan Hamill whipped in the free kick and it was missed by everyone as the ball flew into the right corner of the net.

Killie were excellent in the second half and got back on level terms in 55 minutes with a well-worked move.

Chris Burke played a short corner to the edge of the box and Alan Power smashed a right-foot shot into the top left corner. Then in 68 minutes they grabbed what proved to be the winner.

Stewart played a great ball to the back post and Tshibola powered a downward header that was judged to have crossed the line before Craig Samson clawed it away.

Delighted boss Steve Clarke said:

“We showed some good character to come back again but it’s a bad habit we need to get rid of, that we have to come back in games.

“We had a chat at half time and put things right and in the second half you saw the true Kilmarnock.

“I said to the players it is difficult to win four games in a row in this league but we have done that. We have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard.”

Clarke said the Tshibola goal was “too far away for me to see”, adding:

“The linesman and the people round about it, the boys in the dressing room are convinced it was clearly over the line.”

We showed some good character to come back again but it’s a bad habit