Dermot Gallagher has branded Kye Rowles 'very, very lucky' as the 'handball' incident involving the Hearts star was put under the Ref Watch microscope .
The Jambos defender survived a late scare at Tynecastle on Friday night after the ball struck his arm in the Premiership clash with St Mirren. Robbie Neilson's men were leading 1-0 and went on to win by the single goal margin to increase the gap over Aberdeen in third to six points and push themselves eight ahead of the Buddies.
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson branded VAR soul destroying in the wake of the defeat and was left fuming at the decision not to ask ref David Munro to take another look at the flashpoint incident in the capital. Former English Premier League whistler Gallagher believes the Australia international got away with one as he delivered his view on Sky Sports.
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He said: "He is really, really lucky. Anybody that puts his arm out like this, we see it week after week after week, gets punished. Whether they didn't have an angle to say it definitely hit his arm I don't know. But you look at that and would say he is a very, very lucky player."
Speaking after the match, Robinson said: “I’ve been told it was a penalty and it was similar to other penalties that have been given recently. All we want is a bit of clarity. It’s not the referees’ fault. There are all these people sitting watching, but they are not calling the referee over. When you look at some of the penalties given, it’s incredible. I think the ruling is wrong, so it’s not just about my team.
“I have no idea what’s going on. It’s soul destroying at times because you don’t know what they will and won’t look at. All the managers feel the same.
“Keanu Baccus yellow card was also incredible and it left him walking a tightrope. We deserved the minimum of a point. It was the best 90 minutes of the season.
“To play two games against a team of that calibre and only take one point is devastating for me, because the boys deserved more. We’re down to the bare bones and bringing on 17 year-olds, yet we are matching if not bettering them. It’s hard to take.”
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