Kris Boyd and Derek McInnes react to Rangers controversy v Aberdeen
Kris Boyd and Derek McInnes agree Aberdeen should have been awarded with a penalty kick before Rangers’ opener on Tuesday night.
Before Ianis Hagi’s 20th-minute goal at Pittodrie, Aberdeen were appealing for a penalty kick to referee Kevin Clancy after Ryan Hedges went down in the box.
McInnes and Boyd weren’t 100 per cent sure it was a penalty at first but after watching replays, the two ex-Gers players feel their old club may have been lucky.
“At first, I wasn’t sure, to be honest,” said McInnes on Sky Sports Main Event at half-time on Tuesday night [08:34pm].
“I kept thinking Allan McGregor had to come out to help [Borna] Barisic and we’ve looked at it a few different angles and it’s really close.
“There’s one angle I think which shows Allan McGregor catches with his leg the right calf of Ryan Hedges.
“For me, there is contact there and that looks like a penalty kick.”
Boyd was then asked if he thought it was a penalty and he said: “Yes, it does look like it.
“I don’t think you would be surprised if the referee Kevin Clancy had given it but at the same time, you can understand why he’s not as well. It’s a difficult one.”
Let’s just admit it
We don’t sit here every week and say that referees have done something wrong in our favour but upon watching the replays, McGregor did catch Hedges.
The goalkeeper charged out of his area and definitely made contact with the Dons player to bring him to the ground inside his penalty area.
It was the wrong decision by Clancy to snub the penalty appeals but you could see why the referee didn’t spot it.
It all happened very quickly and the angle of the incident would have hidden the contact away from Clancy in the same way it did to Sky Sports’ cameras.
Aberdeen did get their chance to score from the spot after the break when Lewis Ferguson equalised.
We can’t have any complaints there, it was a clear yet unfortunate handball by Alfredo Morelos – but the ball was rolling when Ferguson took it and it should’ve been retaken.
In other Rangers news, the winner has been named in the Gers’ race to sign this player after a £5million bid was lodged from Ibrox.