Penalty row erupts as Celtic open with win

ST MIRREN manager Gus MacPherson accused referee Eddie Smith of winking at him after the official had awarded Celtic the winning penalty in their Clydesdale Bank Premier League opener at Parkhead yesterday.

Smith, who awarded a dubious free-kick to Celtic last season at Love Street which had ended with Shunsuke Nakamura firing in a late winner, adjudged Will Haining to have fouled Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink inside the box. After Haining was shown a red card, Barry Robson scored from the spot to give the home side a 1-0 win and all three points.

MacPherson, who admitted he had not seen a re-run of the incident, tried but failed to restrain himself after the game.

He said: “I thought St Mirren players were outstanding from the first minute to the last and that’s all I will talk about...

“The referee was winking at me. He would need to explain why, I don’t know whether he was trying to irritate me or not, I don’t know. But he’ll deny it.

“It’s so, so difficult to say what you really feel. We’ve seen it go on a number of times now and you’ve just got to bite your tongue.”

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan had no doubt that Smith had been correct in awarding the penalty – and insisted that the Hoops should have been given one minutes before when Saints keeper Mark Howard clashed with Vennegoor of Hesselink.

He said: “I thought he (Smith) was terrific.

“I thought it was a penalty and I thought we could have had one before that. But there you go, some you get some you don’t.

“The whole game was low-key and we only had four good players.”

Before the championship flag was unfurled ahead of kick-off by Rosemary Burns, widow of former Celtic player, manager and coach Tommy Burns, who died of cancer in May, new signing Marc Crosas was introduced to the Celtic fans.

The 20-year-old Spanish midfielder has signed on a four-year deal from Barcelona and Strachan looked forward to having him in his squad.

He said: “Before people start exaggerating his fee, it was £400,000 (€511,000).

“Hopefully he will bring passing, ability and imagination and a bit of zest. But we have some good players here so he has to work hard before he gets a game.”

CELTIC: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor (Wilson 74), Robson (Caddis 81), Scott Brown, Hartley, McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, McDonald (Samaras 75).

ST MIRREN: Howard, Ross, Haining, Potter, Miranda, Murray, Brady (Gilerao 63), O’Donnell (Wyness 82), McGinn, Mehmet, Brighton (McAusland 63).

Ref: E Smith.