Hearts boss Robbie Neilson couldn’t believe it when Steven McLean told him that Ali Crawford’s X-rated challenge on Jamie Walker had happened too quickly.
In front of both dug outs Crawford slid in dangerously with two feet off the ground.
It looked like an automatic red card to everyone watching but for some reason McLean decided that it was only worth a booking.
Hearts fought back from being 3-1 down to take a point back to Tynecastle but there was no disguising Neilson’s anger when he spoke after the match.
“I didn’t think the referee did his job,” the Tynecastle boss told The Sun. “He has a responsibility, first and foremost, to protect players.
“And if he is not going to do that, then he’s not doing his job. I don’t know what he has seen.
“I spoke with him afterwards and he said it happened so quickly he wasn’t sure but his job is to protect players. Walker is one of our key players.
“We accept that he will get rough treatment at times because people want to put him under pressure but there is a line and, when it goes over the line, it’s up to the referee to step in and he didn’t do that.”
Walker opened the scoring for Hearts in the eighth minute but the homeside then scored three times through Crawford and a double from Rakish Bingham before Hearts struck back late on with goals from Walker and Callum Paterson.
The point leaves Hearts in fourth placed, three points behind Sevco and four behind second placed Aberdeen. On Saturday Hearts are at home to Motherwell
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