Malky Mackay claims Hibs' first goal should not have stood after Ross County defeat

Ross County manager Malky Mackay believes Hibs’ opening goal in their 2-0 win against the Staggies should not have stood and hit out at referee Steven McLean for not spotting a foul on Harry Paton in the build-up to it.
Ross County manager Malky Mackay was not happy with Hibs' first goal.Ross County manager Malky Mackay was not happy with Hibs' first goal.
Ross County manager Malky Mackay was not happy with Hibs' first goal.

Jake Doyle-Hayes scored twice for Hibs in the cinch Premiership encounter, but McKay claimed that his midfielder Paton was fouled by defender Rocky Bushiri, denying him the chance to close down the Irishman’s shot on 50 minutes.

"The biggest thing that displeased me was the foul for the first goal,” Mackay said. “I think everyone saw it clear as day on the big screen from behind the goals – the angle straight on doesn't see it but the minute it goes behind the goals, you see Bushiri just clipping Harry Paton's heels as Paton goes to block the shot. I saw it from the dugout – why would Harry Paton just fall over? It was a huge decision to get wrong."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

When asked if he spoke to McLean about it in the aftermath, Mackay continued: "I asked him about it at the end of the game, I just said, 'it's on the big screen, you'll see it tonight on television'. In a nip and tuck game like that, when there's not many chances ... they got the goal in a game of few chances, and it means we have to go and chase it, we have to change our system, we have to expose ourselves a bit more, and get caught on the counter. That happens for their second goal – take nothing away from a fabulous strike – but that changes the dynamic of the game. Decisions like that have to be correct. I genuinely have no idea why Harry Paton would fall over."

Doyle-Hayes opened the scoring for Hibs with this strike.Doyle-Hayes opened the scoring for Hibs with this strike.
Doyle-Hayes opened the scoring for Hibs with this strike.

Mackay says that the sooner VAR is brought into Scottish football, the better, with a raft of questionable calls in recent weeks across the league.

“I think VAR will help,” Mackay added. “The clubs, league and SFA are in consultations to get that brought in.

“In England it takes away 97 per cent of mistakes. But we swallow it and get on with it.”

Read More
Jake Doyle-Hayes lights up Easter Road with wonder-strike as Hibs move into four...

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.