Lewis: ‘Hearts players kept falling over’
Joe Lewis last night accused Hearts of conning the referee as Aberdeen crashed at Tynecastle. The Jam Tarts won two spot-kicks, scoring one, on their way to a 2-1 win over the Dons. But Reds stopper Lewis – who argued both decisions with referee Kevin Clancy on the pitch – reckons the Jam Tarts were hitting the deck far too easily. “If they just fall over every time the ball goes in the air, it’s going to happen,” he said. “The correct phrase is ‘collapsing all over the place’. “The first one, he told me he gave it for handball. I don’t know how that decision can be given from my angle. “I was following the ball at the second one, but it was frustrating. “It just seemed that every time the ball came into the box, someone was falling. “And every time someone fell over on the pitch, he blew his whistle for some reason.” Disappointed Dons boss Derek McInnes was more reserved in his assessment. But he insisted the Jam Tarts’ first penalty – awarded for a supposed Lewis Ferguson handball – should never have been given. “The second goal is the one that I’m really disappointed with – that’s why I asked the referee at half-time what he actually gave it for,” he said. “I think Naismith slips and goes into young Lewis, who is clearly impeded. “The ball has hit his arm, but he was only trying to stop his fall. “I just think we’ve got to be better than that. We’ve got to see that for what it is. “It’s not a penalty – but the crowd here have a big influence on things. The atmosphere was brilliant. “I wanted my team to make a better fist of it, but the second goal is the one that separates the teams and it made the task more difficult at half-time.” While critical of the penalty award, McInnes didn’t shy away from his own team’s first-half failings. “We gave the players every warning about how strong Hearts are at home,” he said. “I think this is the best Hearts team there has been for a long time. “We just, as a team, weren’t ready for the intensity of Hearts, which is disappointing as a manager.”