Collum fails again over penalty call
Despite a sub-standard display from every area of Neil Lennon’s side the champions elect were denied an injury time penalty when Anthony Stokes was felled in the box by Kilmarnock defender Michael Nelson.
Typical of Collum, modelling the style perfected by his mentor Hugh Dallas, no penalty was given. Stokes was booked and Nelson stayed on the park.
There would have been no guarantee that Celtic would have won the match in extra-time if the penalty had been converted and Nelson red carded. With James Forrest hobbling through the closing stages Celtic were effectively reduced to ten men.
“It is a criminal decision and it has cost us the treble,” Lennon said straight after the match. “It’s a stonewall penalty. It’s a shocking decision, absolutely shocking.
“He’s clean through, he’s holding the boy off, the player lunges at him and takes his leg away and doesn’t get anywhere near the ball.
“So it’s a penalty and a red card, in the final minute of the game where we have banged away at the door.
“And to rub salt in the wounds he books Anthony for diving which is awful refereeing. There’s no way Anthony Stokes would go down clean through on goal.
“Nelson’s reaction; he knows he has given a penalty away and he is hugely relieved. I couldn’t believe the decision myself.
“I shook Willie’s hand at the end of the game because I wanted to act in a dignified manner and I thought overall he had a decent game but that is a big call in a cup final and for me he’s got it horribly wrong.
“I might speak to John Fleming (the SFA’s head of referee development) and get his opinion. They might see it differently.”
Using his twitter account Stokes said: “Any1 that thinks I wud dive wen I’m 1 on 1 wit d keeper needs their head checked. So disappointed but we still have so much to play for
Collum’s actions won’t come as a surprise to any Celtic supporter. His rapid rise through the ranks certainly hasn’t been based on ability.
In his first derby appointment in October 2010 he awarded Rangers a penalty for an incident that he had his back to, with Kirk Broadfoot lying on the ground he elected to give Rangers a penalty.
Last January at Hamilton saw a similar level of performance from the rising star of the refereeing circuit.
With the six yard line to help guide him Collum allowed a Simon Mensing headed ‘goal’ from a free-kick to stand. Later in the same match he booked Niall McGinn for diving in another clear error.
Celtic picked up one point out of six from those matches and lost the title by a point.
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