Derek McInnes says St Mirren draw ‘a real low for the refereeing department’

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes believes improvement is needed from Scotland’s referees department following a “real low” of the performance in the recent draw with St Mirren.

A new weekly review panel set up by the Scottish Football Association unanimously decided that Saints defender Shaun Rooney should have been sent off for violent conduct after twice kicking Kyle Vassell as the Killie captain lay on the ground with the ball between his feet.

Referee Matthew MacDermid gave a free-kick to St Mirren and video assistant Andrew Dallas saw no need to intervene.

Joe Wright was later sent off for violent conduct following a VAR review after clashing with Rooney at a corner during the 2-2 draw in Paisley.

St Mirren were awarded a penalty and had a stoppage-time goal disallowed following a VAR intervention and McInnes feels head of referees Willie Collum must bring improvement in standards as well as better transparency.

McInnes felt Killie would probably have won “if the officials do their job right” and added: “We felt really let down on some of the decisions. That has now been validated by the referee department. It was validated by a phone call that I had with Willie Collum on the Monday after the game.

“There’s not much they can do after the event and I accept that there’s a need for them to be better and they should have been better. But I thought it was a real low for the refereeing department that performance.”

McInnes is pleased to see the new weekly panel decisions being published but believes that is the least clubs can expect.

The Killie boss, who phoned Collum on the Monday after the game, said: “ I feel I’ve always had a good line of communication with Willie when he was a referee, as a player or a manager.

“I’m not here to praise the referee department, Willie in particular, because they’re being transparent. I think it’s the way it should be and I’m glad that he sees it that way.

“I do think he’s a guy who will make change and get things right over time and I think he’ll implement a a standard that’s needed.

“I think we’ve got some really good referees and good officials in the country but we’ve also got a few who need some work.

“And for me it’s quite galling the fact that the St Mirren player involved plays next week and Joe gets a three-game ban.”