FRUSTRATION BUILDING FOR MELLON AFTER PENALTY CALL

DUNDEE UNITED boss Micky Mellon hit out at the officials after his team were denied a ‘stonewall’ penalty against Hibernian.

The Tannadice club were thumped 5-1 by St Mirren in midweek as the manager was left annoyed by a couple of penalty decisions that went against his team.

And his mood failed to improve yesterday after linesman Frank

Connor failed to spot a handball by Hibs full-back Josh Doig in the second half.

United were trailing to goals from Darren McGregor and

Martin Boyle, and Mellon was furious that his side were not awarded a spot-kick to give them a potential route back into the match.

‘If we are going to take our medicine with the one during the week then there has to be consistency especially in tight games like this,’ said Mellon, whose team have now failed to win in seven matches. ‘The fourth official, John Beaton, was the ref who gave the penalty against us on Wednesday.

‘He told us that any kind of handball in the box is a penalty. We want to be judged fairly and we didn’t get it. The linesman was looking right at it. It was a stonewall penalty.

‘You never get an explanation and they will carry on and referee another game in midweek and we have to deal with it. But I don’t want to be standing here just talking about penalties.

‘I presumed if the ball hits your hand, no matter what speed — the one on Wednesday hit Lawrence Shankland at 50 miles per hour — then it’s a penalty. That never went our way today.’

United slipped to seventh spot in the Premiership after St Mirren’s stunning win at Celtic.

But Mellon insists he will help motivate his team to return to winning ways.

‘I don’t like losing any game,’ he added. ‘I’ve got to take my emotion out of it and help the group of players to keep moving forward.’