Nick Walsh slammed after ‘horrible’ Jack Butland incident in Rangers win v St Mirren
Referee Nick Walsh came under fire for his decision to show Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland a yellow card after an accidental clash in their 2-1 victory over St Mirren.
Butland raced out of his box to deal with a ball over the top with Rangers defending their 2-1 lead at St Mirren Park on Sunday (28 April) but collided with home forward Toyosi Olusanya and was cautioned.
Speaking on Sky Sports Football (2:16pm, 28 April), pundits Kenny Miller and Rory Hamilton both agreed the decision to book Butland was harsh.
Miller said: “Butland’s clearly won the ball here, you’ve got two players who are running really fast towards each other. There’s going to be a coming together sometimes.
“I don’t know if that warrants a free-kick; it definitely doesn’t warrant a booking. But it’s where we’re at with the game. Sometimes, contact is inevitable.”
Hamilton had sympathy for the St Mirren striker, saying: “Olusanya is requiring treatment and there’s no doubt it’s a nasty clash. It’s a horrible moment for Olusanya.”
Rangers return to winning ways with Premiership title race back on
Rangers left it late at St Mirren Park, with often maligned striker Cyriel Dessers in the right place at the right time to head home a winning goal that ultimately kept them within three points of Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Jack Bolton’s own goal in the first half gave Rangers a 1-0 lead, but hosts St Mirren were level almost immediately through Mickael Mandron’s bullet header.
The second half was a far cagier affair than the first and Butland, who kept out three goalbound efforts from St Mirren in the opening 45 minutes, didn’t have much to do.
It all looked set to finish as a draw with further dropped points for Rangers, but Dessers was on hand to nod it James Tavernier’s cross to make it 2-1 in the final 15 minutes.
Olusanya’s run in behind the defence shaped up as one of St Mirren’s best chances to equalise, but that unfortunate collision with Butland brought the chance to a halt.
As a result, it’s a win for Rangers, and a win which sees them re-ignite their hunting down of Celtic in this season’s enthralling title race.
In other Rangers news, Women’s team boss Jo Potter was left frustrated by a delay from Celtic before their Scottish Cup semi-final.
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