Allan Johnston hit out at ref Barry Cook and had a verbal swipe at Hamilton Accies after Saturday’s 3-0 home hammering.
Ten man Queens were completely overwhelmed by Accies in their first Championship clash of the New Year, which was Hamilton’s third triumph this term over the Doonhamers.
Johnston was frustrated at the manner of the defeat following the sending off of skipper Wullie Gibson in the wake of the opening goal by David Moyo who seized on a penalty rebound after keeper Josh Rae parried Josh Mullin’s shot.
He said: “I thought we were doing well in the first 15 or 20 minutes of the game, then it’s a refereeing decision that changes the game.
“You can say what you like, but for me it’s a very soft penalty.
“Hamilton have had quite a few soft penalties and their boy has gone down maybe a wee bit early and then got the penalty.”
Gibson continued his protests to whistler Cook while Accies celebrated their opening goal then turned and swore at Ronan Hughes, calling him a cheat, prompting a straight red card.
Afterwards Gibson reckoned the referee had believed the abusive comments were directed at him.
Johnston said of the incident: “Wullie is a very passionate guy and desperate to do well for the club.
“But you have got to control your emotions because it was always going to be a difficult game against Hamilton.
“But it was really difficult after going down to 10 men and a big challenge after that.
“It changes the game after that and it is very frustrating to deal with.
“We just cannot afford to go down to 10 men in a game.
“And we did look like we were tiring a wee bit towards the end of the game.
“Now we have to pick ourselves up and get back into training and start looking towards next Saturday’s game at home to Kilmarnock.”
