Mason Hancock admits he’s a relieved man after netting Airdrie’s equaliser against Dunfermline – and reckons fingers were pointing at him at the Pars’ opener.
Hancock admits he was caught napping as Aaron Comrie raced onto a Craig Wighton through-ball, only to be sent crashing to the deck by keeper Murray Johnson in 28 minutes, with Chris Kane netting from the spot.
While Hancock doesn’t think ref Peter Stuart was right to award the penalty, he was delighted to pop up with his first goal of the season, heading in an Adam Frizzell cross in 67 minutes.
The English wing-back said: “You probably point fingers at me, in terms of tracking your runner, but I think Murray Johnson does amazing, and on another day you clap your hands and it’s forgotten about.
“But today the referee got it wrong.
“We’ve seen it back and it isn’t a penalty, but it’s an opinion game.
“It’s my third season in this league now, I had a struggling season with Arbroath, a loan spell from Aberdeen two seasons ago, and when things aren’t going your way in this league they really don’t go your way.
“You dust your hands, you move on.”
Frizzell’s cross bounced across the pitch, with keeper Deniz Mehmet hesitant to come for it, giving Hancock time to score and the defender admits he was surprised.
“I can’t believe I had the time and space to head that one, kind of strikers’ instinct – I’m joking.
“But it falls to me, it’s stuff you take from the training ground when we play that formation.
“Myself and Dylan MacDonald were doing the wing-back job, can we get in there, and it really is just in case it breaks down.
“Luckily I was in the right place at the right time, and I’m buzzing to get on the score-sheet.
“We were debating in there whether it’s a big point or two points dropped, and my personal view is that it’s two points dropped.
“I think we did enough to nick it, and if I’m a Dunfermline player on that pitch, I’m getting out of here as soon as I can.
“The better team on the pitch, it definitely feels like it was us.”
Hancock weighed in with four goals last season and is pleased to have got off the mark on Saturday.
He said: “Stats is something I really need to improve, and something I’ve really wanted to improve when I joined here.
“The gaffer, Rhys McCabe, brought me in here and asked if we can get my stats up, so it’s something I’ve worked hard on.
“But ones like that today, it could be anyone, it’s just that desire to be there.”