Hughes: Referee was conned into giving penalty
Ross County manager John Hughes believes referee Greg Aitken was conned into awarding the penalty that led to his team’s defeat against St Mirren.
Now he wonders if his players are being too honest and should start going down in the box.
Hughes said he was instantly of the opinion that defender Leo Hjelde did not deserve to be penalised when he got close to Collin Quaner.
He said: “Referees have a tough job and they have to make a decision instantly.
“A s soon as it happened, our video guy said it was never a penalty. He’s been conned.
“He will realise he’s made the wrong decision.
“The player flung his leg in there. It’s not even a free- kick in the middle of pitch.
“We’ re bitterly disappointed. With what’s at stake, boys playing for livelihoods, you’re wanting these decisions to be correct.
“I’m also on the side of the officials. Who would be a referee?
“But he gets paid and he needs to get the decisions spot on.
“I wish it was my team that got it.
“If that’s where the game has gone to, is that what I’m going to have to start coaching?
“Maybe we’ re too honest.
“Some penalty decision go for you, some go against you.
“We need to use it as fuel to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“My problem with my team is that we played offside to let them in there. Why are we doing that?
“I’m not going to point the finger at the ref.
“He made an honest decision, but once he sees it he’ll know he’s been conned.
“So it’s about the authorities doing something about that.”
Hughes’ side now face a massive game against fellow strugglers Kilmarnock.
He hopes his men will produce some of the football they displayed after the break against St Mirren.
Their first-half showing didn’t please him at all.
He added: “My frustration is the first-half performance because we’re better than that. We weren’t at it.
“I was bitterly disappointed with that after what we gave against Celtic in terms of effort and getting about people.
“We were second best, that’s why we shook it up with three substitutions.
“We had a better focal point up front with the changes and put more legs in midfield.
“We had the better chances and showed a desire to keep a clean sheet.
“We did enough to get something out of the game in the second half.
“The first bit of football we played led to a Jordan White header and it was a great save that kept it out.
“Playing Kilmarnock will bring different pressures and we have to stand up to them.”