Hughes accuses Boyle of diving as Ross County lose to Hibs

Ross County manager John Hughes felt refereeing decisions cost his team against Hibernian.

Hughes criticised referee John Beaton for awarding Martin Boyle the penalty which brought Hibs level and claimed the forward should later have been shown a second yellow card for diving.

Boyle went down in a challenge with Alex Iacovitti and the Staggies were furious when Beaton pointed to the spot, the Hibs man converting to cancel out Billy Mckay’s opener.

And Kevin Nisbet sealed a 2-1 win for the visitors in the 60th minute.

“I am expecting better from John Beaton to see what was up, but he only gets one look at it,” Hughes said of the penalty decision.

“Boyle then dived again on the far side, but John decided not to take any action because it would have been a second yellow and a red. The last time I saw a dive like that the boy had Speedos on.

“That’s what I was talking to him about at the end. You need to see it, that’s what you get paid for and we expect better than that.

“It just seems that up at Ross County it’s easy to give penalties.

“I’m not having a go at referees, I’m in it with them and they have decisions to make and have to make it instantly. I can look at a monitor and see, they can’t do that.

“I thought the second goal was offside at first, then I saw it again and it wasn’t – so I admitted that to the fourth official. That penalty though – not for me.”

Hibs manager Jack Ross felt the penalty was the correct decision and praised his side’s reaction to going a goal behind.

“I don’t think he conned the referee,” Ross said.

“I’ve seen it – he turns the wrong side of the defenders. I certainly don’t think he dived.

“In the second half the game becomes open. You might say it wasn’t pretty, but I thought we were excellent in the first half, really dominant.

“We’ve not been brilliant this season at coming from behind in games, so to do that, with the reaction we showed, is pleasing.

“The whole lead up was that this is the biggest game of the season for us. Now the next one becomes the biggest game, there’s still a lot to do.”