Hibs head coach Nick Montgomery believes Scottish football would benefit if referees went full time after a string of contentious calls this season.

Montgomery, a newcomer to the game in Scotland after taking over at Hibs in September, feels he and his team have been on the end of some dubious decisions during the current campaign and says that given the demands of the job, the men in the middle should make it their sole occupation. The former Central Coast Mariners head coach argues that given the tough nature of being a referee, they merit a full-time salary and such a move would allow them to be the best they can be at their job.

Hibs received an apology from the Scottish Football Association last month after Aberdeen’s Nicky Devlin was not penalised for a handball against them in February, one of a catalogue of incidents the Easter Road club believes has gone against them. And when asked if it would be beneficial for all concerned if referees went full time, Montgomery replied: “For sure. For the referees, that's only fair as well – it's a big job. You've got games midweek, weekends, it's a physical job as well, for the referees getting around the pitch, it's not easy. It's only my opinion – everyone has their opinions – but for me the SPL [sic] the referees deserve to be full-time and deserve a full-time salary. It's not an easy job."

Hibs manager Nick Montgomery speaks to the fourth official during Sunday's Scottish Cup clash with Rangers.

Montgomery also feels having ex-professional players involved in the officiating side of the game could help. “If you’ve played the game and you’ve been on the pitch, you have an understanding of the speed of the game and certain incidents,” he said. “But it’s always going to be opinion based. People will have different opinions on stuff. It’s above my remit, what should be done. But you have a lot of commentators who are ex-players. They often have different opinions to what they see live. So it’s maybe something that can be looked at to help, moving forward.”

Hibs had two players sent off against Rangers in Sunday’s Scottish Cup defeat and while those incidents were not as controversial as others for Montgomery this season, the 43-year-old is not an advocate of decisions evening themselves out over the course of a season. “I think it's old wives' tales really!” he smiled. “As a manager you tend to think, ‘surely you'll get some decisions you go for you’. I don't think it evens itself out. I think it's something that you want to believe, like a fairytale, but it's definitely not a fairytale. What you have to do is be better and to score more goals and not have to rely on decisions. We've created a lot of chances lately to make situations a little bit easier, so all we can concentrate on is us and playing better, putting more chances away. Then hopefully we don't have to rely on decisions going for us.”

Hibs are back in Premiership action on Wednesday when they travel to Ross County looking to secure their place in the top six. Midfielder Nathan Moriah-Welsh is suspended for his straight red card for serious foul play against Rangers but left-back Jordan Obita, who picked up two yellows in the same match, is available as his fan only applies for cup competitions. Right-back Lewis Miller missed the cup clash due to muscle tightness but he trained on Monday and is in line for a return. Striker Dylan Vente, however, is unlikely to feature.

“We lost Dylan the day before the Rangers game,” revealed Montgomery. “Just a training-ground incident where he rolled his ankle. I don’t think it’s a bad one but we’ll just have to see. There was a bit of swelling, but it does seem to have gone down a bit today so it could be a week, could be two. We’ll just have to monitor it on a daily basis. He’s obviously doubtful for Wednesday but we’ll see, you never know. Sometimes it depends on the players’ pain threshold! But Dylan’s a good, honest lad and a tough kid so we’ll see.”

Dylan Vente has an ankle injury and is struggling to face Ross County.

Montgomery was delighted to see right-back Chris Cadden play his first 90 minutes since last May following a ruptured Achilles tendon. The 27-year-old deputised for Miller and his manager said: “I thought Chris Cadden was outstanding to come back after such a long lay-off and perform the way he did. That’s not only testament to him, it’s also a testament to the medical staff and everybody given he was coming back from a serious injury and his first start is against Rangers in a quarter-final. I had full trust in him and knew he’d come in and perform and his performance was befitting of his attitude and the work he’s put in off the field, in the gym, and during his rehab.”

The former Motherwell defender’s condition, however, will be assessed ahead of the trip to Dingwall. “We don’t want to risk Chris as well so we’ll see how he recovers and make that decision on Wednesday,” added the head coach.

Hibs press conference highlights: Montgomery's referee call, the 'old wives tale', Vente injury update