Furious Foran sees stonewall call go against ICT
FURIOUS Richie Foran believes better training may be the answer for Scotland’s referees after seeing his team denied a stonewall penalty against Hamilton.
Inverness arrested a run off our straight defeats to climb off the bottom spot thanks to Larnell Cole’s secondhalf leveller.
But Hamilton Accies – with a 10th draw of the season – kept up their happy record in the Highlands with Ali Crawford’s first- half free kick enough to ear n Martin Canning’s men a point.
It stretched the away team’s run of results in Inverness to just one defeat in nine league games.
But Foran’s hosts were denied a clear penalty kick and red card punishment when Daniel Seabor ne seemed to deliberately handle a Lonsana Doumbouya header on the line in the first half.
Foran said: “A stonewall penalty decision goes against us. Not only does he (Seaborne) handle it, he pushes it with his hand and the referee is in probably the best position to see it.
“How he doesn’t give it, I just don’t know. The referee didn’t think it was a handball and then he didn’t think it was deliberate. But it’s blatant.
“Maybe it’s not the referees’ fault. Maybe it’s the coaching they’re getting so I don’t want to put too much blame on them. We just want fair decisions.”
The Highlanders had asked the SPFL if they could postpone the game amid a goalkeeping injury crisis, but Owain Fon Williams played through injury.
He said: “Besides the free kick goal, which he apologised for, Owain had a good game.
“He shouldn’t have been out there. He’s had acupuncture ( on his back) for 48 hours and physios up to his house.
“He’s had injections and painkillers. He could
have suffered a more serious injury playing today and we let him make the decision.
There’s no way he wasn’t going to play today.
“He’s a brave man and he’s put his body on the line for us. It wasn’t ideal. We tried to cancel the game, but rules are rules and I’ve huge respect for the governing body.”
Accies took a 16th minute lead when Ja k e Mulraney gave away a foul 30 yards out, outside the angle of the box. Crawford, as he had done in nearby Dingwall a couple of weeks ago, swept a stunning free kick past the startled Fon Williams at his near post.
The hosts drew level in spectacular fashion after 51 minutes.
Jake Mulraney worked a 1- 2 with Vigurs who laid the ball into the path of Cole. The Englishman’s response was a shot that screamed in off the underside of the bar.
Canning said: “That’s five draws in a row and you could almost script it. Ali Crawford scores and we draw. It seems to be a recurring theme.
“But we’ll take a point at a difficult place and move on, but it’s disappointing not to take three points.”