Raging Aberdeen gaffer Jim Goodwin last night launched a furious rant at Ryan Porteous as he accused the Hibs defender of “cheating” to win his side’s debatable Easter Road spot-kick.
The Dons boss also hit out at David Dickinson as he claimed the ref fell “hook, line and sinker” to Porteous’ penalty-box antics despite warning the official pre-match to beware the Scotland squad ace and his use of the dark arts in Leith. Aberdeen were one up through Duk Lopes’ early opener when Porteous hit the deck after a tangle with Liam Scales in the area. The penalty decision, which also saw Scales pick up his second yellow in the space of two mad minutes, proved to be the turning point as Hibs took control.
Martin Boyle stroked home from the spot in first-half stoppage time before Josh Campbell’s double sealed a 3-1 win for Lee Johnson’s team. But Goodwin let rip as he said: “I don’t know what Liam Scales can do when Ryan Porteous grabs him in a headlock and drags him to the ground.
“I don’t know how many times the boy Porteous can get away with that kind of stuff. We’re telling our players in midweek to be careful with him in the box and not to touch him as he will go over.
“I actually had a laugh and a joke with the referee prior to the game to make him aware of it. Unfortunately just before half-time he was sucked in hook, line and sinker. Bought it. Obviously it’s hard enough 11 vs 11. To play 45 minutes against a good team like Hibs with a man less is virtually impossible.
“We showed our players a number of instances when Porteous has won penalties like that in the past. People will say he’s good at it and he’s clever - but it’s blatant cheating as far as I’m concerned and it’s cost my team points. And I’m going to now have to go without Liam Scales again too, a big important player.
“It’s extremely disappointing, even more so for our supporters who paid a lot of money to travel down to Aberdeen to watch a game and be entertained. The second half was just impossible.”
Goodwin added: “I told him (Porteous) to his face after the game what I thought of him. I don’t care what he reads in the paper on Sunday and Monday. He knows. He’s laughing about it. He celebrates winning penalty-kicks like he’s scored a goal.”
Scottish football is preparing to launch VAR next month and Goodwin says it can’t come soon enough as he hit out at domestic ref’s part-time status.
He said: “The referee thought it was a penalty. What can you say? Roll on VAR I suppose. We’ve spoken about VAR being brought in to assist referees because of the big mistakes that were made last season. And then there has to be an argument for full-time referees as well. We must be one of the only top leagues in Europe that is still kicking around with part-time referees.
"Let’s look at finding the money to make it a full-time job and then they can sit down like we do as professionals and really analyse the game, good, bad and ugly. As I don’t know when they get the opportunity to really do that.”
