Chris Sutton calls out shameless Nick Walsh in James Penrice penalty row

Nick Walsh paved the way for a vital three points for Derek McInnes’ side away to St Mirren.

Tomorrow Walsh will be back at the day job working on the education and fitness of the Murray Park starlets in his job at Boclair Academy in Bearsden.

It is a conflict of interest that no one in Scottish football or the media will speak out about.

Eighteen minutes into the match Samuel Ramos put in a challenge to win the ball that no-one would bother about if he was playing against any of the other 10 Premiership clubs.

Against James Penrice with Walsh as referee it became a very different proposition. Even more so with Greg Aitken on VAR duty.

Ramos stopped short of making contact with a routine challenge.

WALSH DOESN’T HESITATE

Walsh jumped at the opportunity to award a penalty, putting on his best school teacher face as he waved away the protests from the home side.

Walsh knew that there was no chance that Aitken would send him for a pitch-side review.

After settling well into the match St Mirren found themselves a goal down despite doing nothing wrong.

Fans of all clubs except one in the SPFL Premiership know the feeling.

I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about the penalty., I don’t know if I’m still on probation!

I get why the ref gives it.  I need to be careful with what I say. If it’s not given on the field, I don’t think VAR intervenes.

It’s a frustrating one

Chris Sutton told Sky Sports:

We can criticise referees if they make the wrong decision, and I think we all felt that was the wrong decision.

There has to be sufficient contact, James Penrice has played Nick Walsh like a piccolo there.

How much contact is there there, if any? It’s absolutely minimal.

You can look at whatever angle you like, that’s nothing. It’s just not a penalty, absolutely not a penalty.

The penalty decision follows on from last week’s decision not to send off Penrice for his wait high attack on Aberdeen’s Afeez Aremu.

Had he been playing for Hearts, Livingston or Partick Thistle Penrice is unlikely to have got either decision.

Today the on loan defender joins up with the Scotland national team for the first time.

Should he be involved against North Macedonia or Switzerland it is unlikely that Penrice will be on the end of such good fortune.

Last month Honest Willie Collum admitted that St Mirren should have been awarded a penalty at Ibrox when Ismeal Kabia was fouled by Manny Fernandez. Don Robertson refereed that match with Don Robertson on VAR.