Raith Rovers boss Ian Murray hits out at 'nailed on' penalty not being awarded at Ross County

Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray reckons his team was denied a ‘stonewall’ penalty in the first half of last Saturday’s 2-1 Premier Sports Cup Group H defeat at Ross County.

Trailing 1-0 to Jordan White’s headed opener for the Premiership side, referee Euan Anderson failed to point to the spot for a home defender’s 38th-minute foul on Raith captain Scott Brown, after Euan Murray’s header from a corner had been parried by County keeper Ross Laidlaw.

Despite Callum Smith equalising for Raith in the second half by heading in Lewis Stevenson’s cross, Murray’s team lost out to George Harmon’s 87th-minute shot.

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“I felt in real time it was pretty much a nailed on penalty,” the Rovers gaffer told Raith TV. "I would have expected that we were going to get it.

"I'm obviously fortunate on the bench that I can see things back really quickly with a 10, 15-second delay and it's a penalty kick.

"We'll never know how that would have changed the game or swung momentum for us. The referees and linesmen are human like everyone else, they're going to make mistakes in the game.

"I'm sure they'll watch that back and probably feel it was a penalty kick.

"But it's by the by now.

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"Broony's in a position where he might have put the ball in and he's hauled down."

Murray was then asked to analyse the game’s three goals, with the result leaving Raith on six points from three matches ahead of ending their campaign at home to Hamilton Accies this Saturday with a 3pm kick-off.

"First goal we had a wee problem on that side,” he added.

"They were putting a lot of balls in and when you've got a player of Jordan White's ability and stature, he's going to win headers.

"So we we're disappointed with that defensively, two or three players were just a couple of yards out of position defensively and it costs us.

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"We then score a really simple but great goal, really quick passing into midfield, out wide, great ball in from Lewis Stevenson and a fantastic header from Callum Smith.

"Probably at that point we deserved to be level and then the second goal from Ross County was really unfortunate.

"Kieran Freeman's made a fantastic block and it's fallen perfectly for the player and he's finished it well so we give credit there.”

After Ross County won 2-1 at Hamilton Accies on Tuesday night, Raith go into the weekend second in the pool on six points.

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