Writing in the Glasgow Evening Times, Derek Johnstone is the latest figure to criticise John Beaton for failing to award Rangers a penalty against Aberdeen on Wednesday night.
With the game in the balance at 2-2, Lewis Ferguson clipped Alfredo Morelos close to the edge of, yet still clearly inside the box, but the referee gave a free-kick rather than a penalty.
It’s a decision that caused outrage amongst supporters and could well have been the difference between three points and the one point that the Gers ended up taking home. Beaton is said to have apologised for his error after the game [BBC Sport].
“I know that people make mistakes and there is nothing that can be done now,” wrote Johnstone in the Glasgow Evening Times. “But I am sure the last thing Steven wanted to hear was ‘I am sorry, it should have been a penalty’ because that just rubs salt in the wounds.”
“It is not as if there were bodies in front of him and he couldn’t see. He was two yards away from it and misses it. If you can’t see that is inside the box and should be a penalty then there is something wrong.
“People talk about the decisions that Rangers get from referees. Well, keep this one in your book because it was a huge moment in an important game and it could prove costly for Steven Gerrard.”
Verdict
Clearly, Johnstone feels aggrieved about this one in the same way that many other Bears do.
It’s all hypothetical, of course, but getting a penalty at that stage of the game could have proved decisive, helping the Gers escape Pittodrie with a win despite their defensive lapses.
Watching the incident back, it’s still astonishing how Beaton, who is focusing in on the players in question from extremely close range, decides that the foul took place outside the area. In a season where dropped points have been few and far between, it could well have a bearing on the final standings.
It’s not something the players or the coaching staff can afford to dwell on, though. They have a chance to become heroes at Hampden on Sunday and the momentum boost provided by major silverware would go a long way to making up for the Pittodrie mishap.
