MUST BE JOEKING!
Goodwin in rage as Lewis gets off with yellow then denies Buds with spot save
St Mirren gaffer Jim Goodwin s l a ted ref Steven McLean for robbing the Buddies’ first away point of the season.
Aberdeen’s win stretched their unbeaten run to five as they try to reel in Rangers when they face them at Pittodrie on Wednesday night.
But they were lucky to escape with all three points after keeper Joe Lewis pulled off a stunning double save from Tony Andreu’s penalty and rebound at the death. Goodwin reckons Lewis should never have been on the park to make the stop in the f irst place and claimed the Dons No. 1 “clotheslined” striker Jon Obika instead of an attempt to play the ball.
The Paisley boss, whose side have lost all eight games on the road, sighed: “It should’ve been a red.
“It makes a di f ference purely because he’s a top keeper. No disrespect to the second choice but he’s a good keeper who’s still on the park and it’s a good save.
“Jon has knocked the ball by him and he’s almost clotheslined him. If my keeper had done the same I’d be thinking, ‘ We got away with one there’.
“I like the introduction of the law – you see keepers making genuine attempts to get the ball and gett ing sent of f . My understanding of the law was if it wasn’t a genuine attempt to go for the ball then he’s got to go – and he’s got to go.
“I didn’t have an angry conversation with the officials, it was just, ‘ What’s the law’?
“I run the risk of sounding like a manager with sour grapes every week. I would love to sit here and say, ‘ Well done Aberdeen, they thoroughly deserved their win’. I don’t think they did.”
Saints had their chances but they were up against it when Sam Cosgrove bagged his 18th of the season in six minutes.
Ryan Hedges’ ball in found Cosgrove whose first touch and curled left-foot finish, with the aid of a slight deflection, reeked of quality and confidence.
Which is a hell of a lot more than could be said for the Dons’ defending. They crumbled as Saints levelled midway through the half. Midfielder Ryan Flynn skinned two players beforebefor he pickedikd out ObikObika to clipli home. h
Not that Aberdeen didn’t have their chances – Lewis Ferguson especially was beating himself up for a missed header from four yards out.
They gathered themselves better at the interval, though, and came out looking like there was only ever going to be one outcome.
And the goal when it came was a belter, f rom Ferguson’s backheel to release Hedges on the left, to the Welshman’s driven ball across, t o McGi n n’s blazing finish into the roof of the net.
But again they wearied. Andreu’s volley over from a
Sam Foley cross was a warning sign as the Dons backline shared guilty looks. However, the Frenchman was given the perfect chance to make up for the miss.
As a straight ball sailed over his defence, Lewis came and took Obika out with a flying left arm, the bal l already yards behind him.
Steven McLean pointed to the spot but crucially pul led yel low rather than red from his pocket.
Lewis not only saved the penalty but then doubled up on a toocasual rebound.
The keeper said: “I did catch him. It was a penalty, although it was a genuine attempt to go for the ball.”