Malky Mackay has pleaded with SPFL chiefs not to throw the book at Ross County and insisted his club could do no more to prevent the Celtic fans’ pitch invasion.
The County boss is livid away fans ran on to the pitch after Celtic ’s dramatic late win and even claimed as many as 3000 poured on to the turf.
One steward was hospitalised with a broken wrist and another injured as a large group of punters in Victoria Park’s north stand surged forward and spilled past both stewards and police.
County players retreated into midfield amid concerns for their safety and it took a few minutes to eventually clear the playing surface after Anthony Ralston’s goal almost seven minutes into stoppage time.
Although there is no strict liability in place in Scotland, there are SPFL rules that demands home clubs have “good order and security” in order to “prevent unacceptable behaviour”.
Defending both the club and the stewards, Mackay – who played for Celtic from 1993 to 1998 – countered: “When 3000 people decide to run out of a stand, I don’t know what you’re supposed to do about that.
“I thought Ross County ’s stewarding and staff did everything they could in the circumstances.
“It’s disappointing, obviously, that there’s a steward that’s ended up downstairs, and another one with a broken wrist.
“That’s not great considering they were only trying to do their jobs.
“That’s something that has maybe got to be looked at. The home club is the club that is spoken to about these things, but it would be interesting to know what is actually supposed to happen there.
“There were plenty of yellow jackets standing in front of that stand, so if people decide, en masse, to come out of it, I really don’t know what we’re supposed to do about that.
“I don’t know what the effect of this is going to be. I genuinely don’t.
“Ross County staff were absolutely trying their best.
“Clubs have a pre-ops meeting, and it was properly stewarded for the amount of people who were here – overloaded at the Celtic end obviously.”
We’ve teamed up with LiveScore to invite fans to vote for their favourite results - the games which were much more than a score. Vote for the match that mattered to you here .
