Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes fears keeper Robby McCrorie has fractured his cheekbone.
The keeper was injured after just 30 seconds of the Scottish Cup defeat following a clash with Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn. McCrorie dived at the German’s feet but was clattered in the process and immediately taken off. He was going to hospital but his manager is concerned there’s serious damage.
McCrorie had to be replaced early by Kieran O’Hara as Killie suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at Parkhead. Bobby Wales equalised after Callum McGregor’s opener but Daizen Maeda bagged the winner to knock the visitors out. Afterwards, McInnes provided an update on his injured number one and stand-in skipper Brad Lyons who also limped off. He said: “Our biggest fear is that he’s fractured his cheekbone. He’s away getting an x-ray just now, but with the way the NHS is at the moment – we might not know until Monday!
“The doctor seems to think it’s his cheekbone. We’re preparing ourselves for the worst news with him. Then Brad went off with a hamstring. We came here depleted as well, the cards were stacked against us with the draw.
“When the team line came in from Celtic they were at full strength – that’s Celtic’s strongest team. So we had to contend with that.”
Killie battled hard and for 70 minutes competed with Celtic as they tried to force extra-time. But McInnes was left raging at the home side’s winner as he felt Marley Watkins had been upended in the build-up with Killie’s protests earning assistant boss Paul Sheerin a yellow card.
The manager said: “It should’ve been a foul for us. How the fourth official can give it the other way I don’t know. I saw it back, Auston Trusty fouled Watkins.
“Then they don’t take it from where the foul was, it’s 20 yards further forward. It was quickly put out to the other side while we’re still debating it and 20 seconds later it’s in the back of our net.
“If we’re not going to get the foul, at least make sure it’s taken from the right spot. Nicolas Kuhn is a top player and he slides Maeda in to score. There are acceptable ways to lose a cup tie and I thought we did that today.”