Tony Docherty ‘hugely frustrated’ by officials as Dundee go down to Motherwell

Dundee manager Tony Docherty claimed the decision to disallow what would have been a second goal for Antonio Portales against Motherwell was a “disgrace” after the 10-man visitors fought back to win 2-1 at Dens Park.

Portales had volleyed Dundee into a 31st-minute lead following a long throw and emulated the feat with a left-footed strike into the same top corner from the same source just before the break.

But the strike was disallowed by video assistant Callum Scott because Clark Robertson had come back from an offside position to challenge for the ball with Motherwell left-back Dom Thompson after Joe Shaughnessy had headed it forward. The ball broke to Portales off the boot of either Robertson or Thompson.

Tom Sparrow levelled in the 59th minute and Tawanda Maswanhise headed a stoppage-time winner as Motherwell refused to sit back following a VAR-assisted red card for Johnny Koutroumbis.

Docherty said: “I’m not abdicating responsibility as Dundee manager for losing the game. It’s a game we should never lose.

“But we’re in a situation now where we’ve got officials that are finding a way to disallow goals.

“There’s no doubt the opposition gets a lift from that decision. We should be going in at 2-0.

“The officials contrive to find a way to disallow that goal. So I’m hugely frustrated by that.

“This game for spectators is all about entertainment and the entertainment comes from them watching their team score goals. You’ve seen the reaction of the fans when Antonio scores his second goal there.

“I just think it’s a disgrace to have made that decision, which affects the dynamic of the game.

“They said Clark Robertson was in an offside position from the initial knock-on from the long throw. But, in my opinion, it doesn’t affect anything in the lead-up to that play that Portales hits a left-foot shot into the top corner.

“If anything, it’s Joe Shaughnessy that’s challenging the player when it drops to Portales.

“Referees don’t referee games anymore. What do linesmen do? Linesmen give throw-ins. There’s no offside decision that gets made anymore. And it’s continually getting these decisions wrong.”

Docherty admitted his side were caught on the break too often after he brought on winger Charlie Reilly following the 80th-minute red card.

“We take off a defender, we put on an attacker, we go 4-4-2,” he said. “And we shouldn’t have lost that. It’s a ridiculous goal to lose the match on and what could have been an important point.”

Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer knew his side would win following the sending-off as they sealed William Hill Premiership safety.

Wimmer, who brought on Ewan Wilson and moved to a back three after the dismissal, said: “I was sure we would win the game because I had this feeling.

“I felt this energy on the bench, on the pitch, from the spectators. So I was not scared. I had the feeling we can win.

“I’m very proud of the guys and it was not the first time that we changed the result.

“It’s a brilliant team, brilliant character and they deserve to stay in the league.”