Stephen Robinson: Decision to overturn Marcus Fraser red card was ‘common sense’

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson believes “common sense prevailed” when Marcus Fraser’s red card against Dundee United was rescinded following a fast track tribunal.

The Saints defender was initially given a yellow card after clashing with United substitute Louis Moult inside the box last weekend, but that was changed to red following a monitor check by referee Matthew MacDermid.

The Paisley club, who lost 2-0, appealed the red card and their claim was upheld in midweek, with the Scottish FA revealing the decision on its website: “Claim is Upheld. A4 – Denying the opposing team or an opponent a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity as defined by law 12 is rescinded.”

Fraser is now free to play against Motherwell on Saturday, and Robinson said: “Common sense prevailed, so credit to the review panel.

“There’s a transparency now. Willie (Collum, head of referee operations at the Scottish Football Association) is open to speaking about it. The club spoke to him and obviously we had a meeting, which Brian Kerr (assistant manager) attended. And everyone’s trying to make things better, everybody’s trying to improve things.

“Everyone’s trying to make the whole situation better, VAR, refereeing and the standard of football, everybody’s trying to do the same.

“Human beings make mistakes and VAR is there to correct those decisions when they do.

“It didn’t on that occasion. It has done on plenty of occasions. If I use the Alex Gogic example against Aberdeen (red downgraded to yellow on the pitch), it worked very well, so not everything’s really poor about it.

“It’s progressing, the people that are running it, and Willie is obviously in charge of it now, where everybody’s trying to make it better. And that takes time. It takes money. We don’t have the money that they do in England where VAR set-up is way ahead of what we have here.

“It’s not a wholesale it doesn’t work, or a wholesale it does work. It’s improving. The referees are trying to use it better and everyone’s learning as they go.”

Stuart Kettlewell’s Motherwell have lost three games in a row, most recently a 4-1 defeat by Dundee in midweek, although they remain one point ahead of the Buddies.

Robinson said: “They’re sitting sixth in the table, they had a very good start to the season. Everyone has a little (poor) spell and we had our spell. They’ve got a good squad, they’ve got a good manager in Stuart, who’s proven that over time.

“It’ll be a tough game. There’s not a lot between the two teams in any of the games that have been played.

“A couple of the decisions go your way or you get an early goal, which seems to settle people down at this level, so it will be a real competitive game.”