Victor Wanyama’s return to Scottish football ended in disaster as the former Celtic star saw red less than 20 minutes into his Dunfermline Athletic debut.
Neil Lennon’s side fell to a 3-0 defeat against Ayr United, leaving them two points adrift in the relegation play-off spot, and without their marquee signing for upcoming home fixture versus Livingston.
The ex-Celtic midfielder, who became a fan's favourite with his performances at Parkhead before securing a £13million move to Southampton, was hoping to make an instant impact after penning a short-term deal to represent the struggling Scottish Championship outfit.
However, his first outing in Scottish football since leaving Glasgow in July 2013 lasted just moments before referee Iain Snedden sent him off for handling the ball and preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity.
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Wanyama, caught in possession by Ayr substitute Mark McKenzie deep in his own half, slipped as the attacker advanced. His instinctive reaction saw him reach out and nudge the ball away, prompting Snedden to brandish a straight red.
Speaking after the heavy away loss, Lennon - who was himself booked for his protests - vented his frustration: “Victor slipped, and his initial reaction was to reach out for it, but I thought we had Jeremiah there. I don’t think their guy would’ve been clean through.
“Listen, I’m not happy with the referee. I got booked for apparently contesting a decision where my player got flattened, and their guy remonstrates with the ref and still doesn’t get a card. It was a very strange performance from him.
Lennon was also left fuming over a denied penalty claim, believing his side were hard done by when Connor Young was seemingly tripped inside the box.
“Connor is about to pull the trigger, he gets tapped. Everyone is telling me there’s definitely contact,” he stated. “There’s no fourth official to have a go at, so the linesman is the nearest one in my eyeline!”
Despite his frustration with the officiating, Lennon admitted that Wanyama - who had been a free agent since leaving CF Montreal on January 1 - was still finding his feet.
“I knew Victor was rusty,” he acknowledged. “He needs to get minutes into his legs as quickly as possible. Now he’ll have to do it with a lot of conditioning work and training with the squad and be ready for next week, hopefully.”
Dunfermline’s loss saw Ayr, managed by Lennon’s old Celtic teammate Scott Brown, claim a crucial victory in the battle for a much-coveted chance at gaining promotion to the Scottish Premiership.
The Pars, meanwhile, remain in trouble, with Wanyama now set to miss Tuesday’s clash against Livingston at East End Park due to suspension.
