Jim McInally gives SFA food for thought in appeal

PETERHEAD manager Jim McInally spent over two hours at Hampden yesterday appealing against the four-game ban he was issued with after a row with referee John McKendrick over the dinner the Balmoor club had supplied him with.

Jim McInally arrives at Hampden to appeal a fourgame ban but left without a decision. Picture: SNS

McInally, however, headed home without a decision being made by the SFA panel, with a result expected to be announced today.

The former Scotland international was hit with a the suspension last month after McKendrick reported him for asking the whistler and his assistants to move from a dining area at Peterhead’s Balmoor ground after a game with East Stirlingshire on 16 November.

McInally feared that, as his side had lost a late goal in the 1-1 draw, his players could have made comments that would have been heard and reported by McKendrick as they were sitting close by.

McInally made his request before the match officials went to be fed and he reiterated it when he saw them sat beside his playing pool, however McKendrick believed McInally had been joking when he made the initial request.

At the initial hearing, McInally opted not to attend and be represented by a club official but Peterhead were angered by both the ban and the severity of it and backed McInally in his appeal.

The Balmoor manager said: “The appeal hearing was very detailed and lasted for more than two hours before it was adjourned with no decision being made. I was not at the initial hearing when the ban was imposed but I am glad that I attended the appeal. I believe that I was listened to and I will leave things at that.”

McInally has been in trouble with the SFA before, receiving a 12-game ban in 2008 for an incident when he was in charge of East Stirling which was extended to 16 when he appealed.