Caley Thistle manager Duncan Ferguson was adamant his side should have been awarded a late penalty in their 1-0 defeat to Dundee United.
The Highlanders lost out to United, with Tony Watt netting three minutes from time to move Jim Goodwin’s men back to the top of the Championship.
Deep into stoppage time, Inverness were furious with referee Alan Muir who did not award a spot-kick after the ball struck the arm of Liam Grimshaw in the box.
Ferguson was highly critical of Muir’s failure to give the decision.
He said: “I spoke to the referee and he just said he didn’t see it as a penalty.
“I saw it as a penalty, and I think all the players’ reactions around the ball tells you that it was a penalty.
“His linesman could have helped him, but the referee had a good view of it, and in my opinion he has bottled the decision.
“It’s not an easy job being a referee, but I think the big decision on the night was that one, and we feel as if it was a penalty that should have given us a chance to get an equaliser.”
Ferguson, who recently spoke of his need to temper his touchline frustrations after receiving two red cards in recent weeks, insists he has felt hard done by in decisions which have gone against his team.
He added: “I just don’t seem to be getting the breaks.
“I have had two red cards in four or five games. Sometimes I can be animated on the touchline, but they weren’t red cards, and again tonight we didn’t get a penalty.
“I could look back at many matches where we have had penalties which haven’t been given to us.
“From where I was standing, it was arm to the ball. We all thought it was a penalty. The referee is a lot closer than us, he’s got a clear view of the situation and decides it’s not a penalty.
“That’s his opinion, but I think the reaction of everyone around about the ball.
“Their manager and staff know it’s a penalty, everybody know it was a penalty, bar the people that counted. It is what it is.
United boss Jim Goodwin could understand Caley Thistle’s frustrations, and he said: “I don’t think Grimshaw knows a great deal about it. It certainly does hit his arm, but I have moaned enough about decisions that have went against us.
“I can remember one at Queen’s Park when Matthew Cudjoe was fouled in the box and nothing was given, and there was the one last week with Kirk Broadfoot on Kevin Holt which was a stonewall penalty that everybody agreed with after the game watching it back.
“If we did get away with one, I think we have been due it.
“The Inverness guys on the bench were frustrated and angry about the penalty decision that they didn’t get, but I will say it was not a deliberate handball – Grimshaw doesn’t know much about it.
“I can understand their frustration because I have been there myself not so long ago.”
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