Michael Higdon, the Falkirk striker, has accused the referee of �bottling it� over Celtic�s opening goal in the 3-0 victory at Parkhead on Saturday.

Michael Higdon, the Falkirk striker, has accused the referee of "bottling it" over Celtic's opening goal in the 3-0 victory at Parkhead on Saturday.

Iain Brines allowed Stephen McManus' goal to stand despite claims from the visitors that the Celtic captain had knocked the ball into the net with a hand or arm.

Higdon, who was next to McManus when the centre-half made contact with a Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick, said: "It was just a blatant hand-ball." He claimed McManus had admitted the goal should not have stood. "I have even asked him after he did it and he said I handballed it in and he's just not give it'," said the Falkirk striker. He added: "He scooped it in with his hand. I could not believe it. I could have knocked the ref out, to be honest."

Higdon was scathing about Brines. "I was surprised I never got booked today because I kept having a go at him all the time," said the Liverpudlian. "I booted the ball away and he never booked me. It just shows you how inconsistent that referee is. What are you going to do?"

There has been controversy over the standard of refereeing in Scotland in the past year. Higdon added to the fire by saying: "The referees do bottle it because they keep making the same mistakes all the time."

He cited Charlie Richardson's refusal to give a penalty against Celtic at Tannadice last week and said that Brines, who stopped play before Zander Diamond scored against the champions late last season, was "obviously a Celtic fan".

With Mike McCurry's performance in the Rangers v Dundee United last season also the subject of much controversy, Higdon was asked why there were so many poor decisions.

He said: "I do not know the answer to that but they the referees must be bottling it."

The row comes after coaches and managers of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League sides met Scottish refereeing representatives last week to improve relations that have become increasingly strained. John Hughes, the Falkirk manager, did not attend that meeting but said on Thursday he was unhappy at the appointment of Brines for Saturday's match. "Whoever appoints referees should have had the common sense to look at it and see that he refereed Celtic for half an hour last week," he said.

After Saturday's match, he said of the first goal: "I could see the handball from where I was in the stand. At places like this, you need decisions to go for you."

Hughes, though, must now lift his side for two crucial games in a week. Falkirk travel to Kirkcaldy to play Raith Rovers in the CIS Insurance Cup and then attempt to win the first points of the season against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday.

Higdon said: "We must show more character. We have a lot of work to do. The gaffer keeps telling us we have to believe more but something is missing. We are playing nice football and not getting the results."

However, he was confident the situation would be turned around. "We'll get there in the end," he said.