Don Cowie insists Kevin Clancy’s dud call played a part in Ross County ’s late downfall.
The Staggies boss was fuming at a cheap free kick that allowed Celtic to get the ball back and led to Nicolas Kuhn ’s winner with just two minutes to go. Cowie hailed his side’s fight – and admitted they felt hard done by. He said: “It was disappointing for the players with the effort they have put in again They kept a top quality side relatively quiet in terms of scoring opportunities, and we said beforehand it was about being compact and our concentration levels which I saw in abundance in the group.
“The equaliser was a bit fortunate, and then they score a goal from a foul that I didn’t think was a foul. At that stage, we were a little bit out of shape, and then a good team punishes you which is what happened. At the time I didn’t think it was a free kick, and I’ve seen it again and it’s not. We can still react and prevent the goal, but it’s disappointing that the goal goes against us.
“I asked the referee about it and got no response. He’s got his opinion, and I’ve got mine. I don’t think they can check it, because once the free kick is given it’s a new phase of play.
“It’s up to us to react to that situation. We were slightly stretched, and two passes later they score. We could go gung ho and try and attack Celtic, and that’s how the winning goal comes.
“For us it was about creating a game plan to be tight, and to try and frustrate them, and I thought we did that really well. I’m just disappointed for the boys that they’ve got nothing to show for it in the end.”
County striker Ronan Hale showed huge bottle to notch a retaken penalty and he was a constant threat to Celts as he took his tally to seven for the season. Cowie said: “I’ve said it time and time again, he’s a real threat. He’s a goalscorer who has made a great start to his career at Ross County.
“He showed great character to step up and score another important goal for us. That gave us belief and energy going into half time, and something to hang on to, so he has been fantastic since he came to the club.”
Cowie’s men were unbeaten in three going into the Celtic clash and he won’t let defeat disrupt the momentum building in the Highlands. He said: “That’s my job to remind the group.
“Naturally they’re really disappointed to get nothing from the game, but when we reflect and speak about it they will realise how good they were as a group. They defended for each other, which you have to do against a top quality team. That will give us great belief going into this next group of games that we’ve got.”