The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Houston hits out at Dunfermline
Falkirk manager Peter Houston has accused Dunfermline of a lack of professionalism in the aftermath of the Myles Hippolyte diving storm, despite confirming he will accept the two-game ban dished out by the SFA yesterday.
The Bairns claimed a 2-1 win on Saturday, with the turning point coming when Hippolyte fell to the turf under a challenge from Sean Murdoch.
However, the spotkick controversy overshadowed the result, with Dunfermline’s official twitter account posting a video of the incident – complete with emojis to indicate the player was a diver – online on Saturday evening.
Pars captain Andy Geggan insisted action must be taken to stamp out simulation, while Murdoch accused Hippolyte of “conning” referee Gavin Duncan and said he should be banned.
SFA compliance officer Tony McGlennan yesterday issued a notice of complaint offering a two-match ban, which Houston has accepted after conceding his player “duped” the whistler.
However, Houston said: “I think Dunfermline have been so unprofessional in some of the comments, tweets and other things I have been shown.
“The lads Murdoch and Geggan have been quick to criticise Myles, but I haven’t seen any for their team-mate (David Hopkirk), who was booked for doing exactly the same thing,” he said.
“I have been disappointed with the lack of professionalism coming from Dunfermline, wanting to shop people.
“I understand the frustration, we were given a penalty we shouldn’t have been given. But it was seven minutes into the second half.
“For them to say it cost them the game, seven minutes into the second half, shows that they lost their composure, their professionalism and the match.”