WORLDS APART FROM OLD FIRM
Del rages as out-of-form Dons are denied string of penalties
Frustrated Derek McInnes insists Aberdeen get a raw deal over penalties compared to the Old Firm.
The Dons boss thought his side should have been awarded a spot-kick against Kilmarnock yesterday but it wasn’t given and his team drew a blank for the fifth game-in-a-row.
It led to another mutiny within sections of the Red Army as they turned on their manager and booed the team off at the final whistle.
But McInnes felt the game would have turned out differently had Nick Walsh pointed to the spot after 11 minutes instead of giving a free-kick on the edge of the box after Niko Hamalainen caught Matty Kennedy.
The Pittodrie gaffer knows his side are out of form but is adamant they should also have had penalties in the defeat to Motherwell and the goal-less draw at St Mirren.
He claimed: “We should get a penalty again. That’s three penalties we’ve been denied in the last f ive games. If it had been Rangers and Celtic the whole world would know about it.
“Once again Matty Kennedy is brought down and it’s a penalty we haven’t been given. We should have had a penalty against Motherwell and St Mirren but we have to try to help ourselves a bit more.
“The composure was good on a difficult surface and the conditions were farcical at times.
“I was told right away it was inside the box. The referee has listened to his linesman but they’ve got to be better – it’s a penalty kick.”
McInnes was pleased with his side’s play apart from lacking that finishing touch–although he admitted their poor form has left him angry and embarrassed.
He insisted: “It’s the same story – not scoring when we are the better team.
“We played well today and were the better team for large parts.
“If you had flown in you would have watched a team in control. We had umpteen corners into the box.
Killie were delighted to force a replay a week on Wednesday. It takes their unbeaten run to three games and continues the mini-revival under Alex Dyer before they face Rangers at home on Wednesday.
Their only real chance in the f irst period came when Alan Power found on- form Eamonn Brophy but his cross/ shot flew wide.
Then came the penalty claim which saw Niall McGinn curl over from the free-kick Walsh awarded.
Killie’s Kirk Broadfoot went into the book for a foul on Kennedy and was followed by Dean Campbell for a challenge on Power.
The second half had a bit more excitement five minutes in.
Lewis Ferguson powered in from the left and forced Laurentiu Bransecu to tip brilliantly away as Kennedy tried and failed to get his head on the rebound.
But the Dons drew another blank and some supporters sang: “Derek, Derek get to f***” while others broke into ironic chants of “We are f***ing s***!” as the full-time whistle blew.