Jim Goodwin laughed off Graham Alexander’s accusation that he influenced Bobby Madden’s decision to award St Mirren a penalty.
The new Motherwell manager was adamant that pressure from the Buddies’ dugout coerced Madden into handing the Saints a chance to equalise from the spot.
But Goodwin believes Madden is a competent enough official not to be so easily swayed by outside influences.
He said: “I thought at the time it was a penalty, I definitely heard the sound of contact in the box.
“Bobby Madden is a top referee, hence why he was chosen for the Old Firm a couple of weeks ago.
“In my opinion he’s one of the best in the country.
“If he’s not made the right decision on this occasion then I’m sure he’d be the first one to hold his hands up.
“I probably shout too much on the sideline, but I just can’t help it.
“You want any kind of break of the ball you can get in every game.
“I’m pleased to get the penalty, which earned us a point, but I think over the piece we deserved a draw.”
New Motherwell boss Alexander says he felt St Mirren’s penalty was coming due to pressure being put on referee Madden.
The visitors to Paisley looked set to grab all three points before the Saints were gifted a soft penalty by the man in black.
Former Scotland international Alexander insists he felt the decision was coming due to an ongoing “influence” from the Buddies bench.
Alexander said: “We’ve been harshly dealt with at the penalty.
“I thought it was coming because there was an influence, I felt. There was a lot of noise on every challenge, and I mean every challenge.
“I’ve seen it back and it’s a limited touch, if any at all.
“I feel for the guys in there because I don’t feel they deserved to score against us.
“I am not going to talk about the referee. He managed the game well and did what he could.
“They have a split-second decision to make but as a very experienced manager, you can feel these things coming.”
