Wrong call- ref Robertson gets called out over St Mirren decision

Dermot Gallagher has admitted that St Mirren’s second goal against Celtic on Sunday should have been disallowed.

The former referee reviewed the incident on Sky Sports News as Celtic came to terms with their first SPFL defeat of the season.

While Celtic were clearly badly off form there has been widespread praise for St Mirren’s physical approach, ‘bullying Celtic’ which is an element of the Laws that referee Don Robertson seems very lax over in matches involving Ange Postecoglou.

Last season in successive months the SFA stepped in to award retrospective red cards to Dundee United’s Calum Butcher and Mouhamed Niang of Alloa for offences that Robertson viewed only as yellow cards.

There were a few debatable aspects to St Mirren’s second goal ranging from the awarding of the throw-in to possible offside but Gallagher focussed on the push by goalscorer Jonah Ayunga that sent Stephen Welsh away from the ball as he peeled back to gain the space to bundle the ball past Joe Hart.

? Should St Mirren’s second goal against Celtic have stood?

Dermot Gallagher says VAR would have disallowed it for a push by Jonah Ayunga on Stephen Welsh?? pic.twitter.com/8XF5KNIzcg

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) September 20, 2022

I think he gets lucky. You can’t see here but from the other angle he pushes Welsh in the back. He pushes him away. Joe Hart has the perfect view, he has the view the referee wants.

I think if the referee has got that view you give a foul. It comes off his shoulder so he got doubly lucky.

There aren’t any excuses for a referee being unsighted for an incident in the six yard box from a throw-in. They get training to be best positioned for all set-pieces. Sunday was the second time in seven SPFL Premiership fixtures that Robertson has refereed Celtic matches.