| With the game finely poised at 2-2, Killie’s Colin Nish appeared to handle inside the area, but referee Brines ignored home appeals for a spot-kick.
However, on the SFA’s Whistleblower website, the match official admitted he had been caught out of position.
He said, “During the early part of the second half, with the score 2-2, a corner-kick had been awarded to Dundee United. With the ball flighted in to the back post I was aware of being caught out of position and attempted to move round the players.
“Whilst moving round, I believed I observed the United player (Garry) Kenneth head the ball past for a goal-kick, failing to observe through his head that the Kilmarnock player Nish had apparently handled.
“As a referee we are coached to make decisions regards positioning ourselves in order to obtain the best view of situations as they develop.
“On this occasion, my positioning was such that I didn’t see the full incident clearly, and as such, couldn’t award a penalty- kick. For myself, a lesson learned.”
While Brines’ words won’t turn one point into the three United had been looking for, the manager was happy to see the referee set the record straight.
“At the end of the day, the linesman has made a great decision for our equaliser and now the referee has admitted he was wrong with the penalty appeal,” said Craig.
“There is very little we can do about that now, so we just have to get on with it.”
“Getting on with it” means looking ahead to Sunday’s clash against Champions League chasing Rangers.
And it’s a game Craig is eagerly awaiting.
“We have a good record here against Rangers and we’re all looking forward to the game.”
Garry Kenneth missed training today due to a slight Achilles strain.
United’s reserves beat Killie 2-0 at Tannadice yesterday thanks to goals from Stuart Abbot and David Goodwillie, who was celebrating his 17th birthday. |
