LINLITHGOW ROSE boss Jim Sinnet today accused referee Ian Craig of costing his side their place in the Scottish Junior Cup.

The competition holders were beaten 3-1 by Cumnock at Prestonfield at the weekend, crashing out the tournament after a display that was way below the high standards they have set for themselves in recent years. But while conceding that too many of his players weren't at their best, Sinnet insisted they would still have progressed in the competition but for the display of Craig.

The official somehow contrived to book eight players and send off two in a match that didn't contain a single bad tackle. Regarded as a promising up-and-coming referee in the junior ranks he rarely allowed play to continue for more than about a minute at a time without sounding his whistle for the most trivial of reasons and made a rod for his own back by booking players for next to nothing. Linlithgow Rose goalkeeper Greg Logan was the first to suffer at his hands with 12 minutes on the clock when he was ordered off after he was adjudged to have hauled down Richie Barr inside the area.

A penalty was awarded, and converted by Gareth Campbell, and while it was difficult to gauge if there had been any contact between the players, the decision to deem Logan as last man defied belief as the striker was racing away from goal and both Greig Denham and Kevin Donnelly had retreated to at least in line with their keeper, if not behind him. That proved to be the turning point in what had been a level clash up until that point and was the signal for Craig to go card happy as he eventually sent-off Cumnock's John McCay in the closing minutes while flashing his yellow card to eight other players.

Prior to that Rose had levelled the tie just minutes after going behind when Denham tapped the ball in from close range after Cumnock goalkeeper Graham Potter had brilliantly saved an acrobatic overhead kick from Sean Grady.

But, without the injured Gordon Herd and Mark Tyrell, and the suspended Brian Carrigan – as well as playing with a man down – the task proved too much for the West Lothian outfit.

Poor marking allowed McCay to make it 2-1 to the Ayrshire side midway through the first half before a heavily deflected Gareth Campbell 20-yard shot killed off the contest three minutes before the interval.

Linlithgow rarely looked as though they would get back into the match during the second 45 minutes yet Sinnet reserved his anger for Craig. "I don't think we would have got beaten if Greg Logan had stayed on the park. I've no doubts we would have won the game if it had stayed 11 against 11," said the Prestonfield boss, after a long pause when asked if the referee had cost his side the tie. "It's a big decision to send him off and I actually thought he was booking their boy for diving because he didn't point to the penalty spot at any stage.

"We had boys that were getting back and I don't think their guy was even going to catch the ball! It's a big turning point in the game and the referee has then made bad decisions throughout the game. We didn't play well either it has to be said but there's no getting away from the fact the referee didn't help. Anyone that was at the game could see that. We'd heard comments about him (Craig) before he came to the game on Saturday, that he was friendly with certain persons at them (Cumnock) but if I go into it too much I'll just get myself punished.

"It's disappointing as there wasn't a bad tackle in the game. It seemed if you talked to the referee you got booked and he certainly didn't have the greatest of games."

The defeat means Rose now face a real uphill battle if they are to qualify for next season's Scottish senior Cup with the Super League now their only avenue into that tournament.


Linlithgow Rose: Logan, Gallacher, McDermott (**** 44), Donnelly, Denham, Bradley (Burnett 82) McSween, Hogg, Feeney (McGlynn 12), Grady, McArthur. Subs not used: James, Wilson.

Cumnock: Potter, McDonald, Desmond (Cameron 59), Farrell, Murray, McGowan, Campbell, Weir, Barr, Black, McCay. Subs not used: Henderson, Ford, Hughes, Semple

Report Copyright Mark Bonthrone Edinburgh Evening News