WHEN a manager says that the country’s best referee has had his worst game, you know quite a big stooshie has just gone down.

Settling down for his post-match press conference, Motherwell manager Mark McGhee did not wait long before he turned his attention to the key moment from this tumultuous 3-1 defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Fir Park.

The incident in question came on the 11th minute and revolved around referee Craig Thomson and Inverness’ spot kick opener. While there was some dubiety over the initial award, the real talking point concerns what took place in the immediate aftermath of Motherwell goalkeeper Connor Ripley pulling off a great save from Greg Tansey as the man in the middle ordered the penalty to be retaken due to encroachment from Josh Law.

While the Motherwell player was on hand to turn the rebound away, he wasn’t the only soul found inside the box at the time of strike, leading to mass protest from the home players. Still, Tansey didn’t miss again, and it set the Highland side on their way to their first win in over a month with Miles Storey and Iain Vigurs adding to their lot, only for Louis Moult’s seventh of the season being nothing more than a consolation for a frustrated McGhee, who also saw captain Stephen McManus dismissed in the dying seconds to top things off.

“If you watch any penalty that’s shown on TV tonight every single one will look the same – people will be following in,” said the Motherwell manager. “While I can’t say it’s the first time I’ve seen a decision like that it’s certainly the first time in a long time so that was disappointing.

“Then their second goal was a deflection and we found ourselves two goals down without having deserved to be.

“I haven’t spoken to the referee. I thought he had a poor game. He’s our best referee but at some point he’s going to have his worst game – we have them, too – and he had his today.”

The first half was defined ultimately by the two goals Inverness cobbled together. Their first arrived on 13 minutes and would set the tone for an unsettled afternoon for the home support inside Fir Park. A Tansey corner to the back of the box was nodded back across by Danny Devine, but it only got as far as the hand of McManus little over a yard away as the defender was facing the other way. Referee Thomson pointed to the spot, and then again, before Tansey eventually sent the ball by Ripley.

Their second arrived just a minute before the interval and again, Motherwell will feel hard done by. Storey picked up the ball on the edge of the box and his curled right-foot shot should have been easily gathered by Ripley, but a massive deflection on the way through off the back of Kieran Kennedy sent the on-loan Middlesbrough man one way and the ball another for 2-0.

For all Lady Luck may have offered a helping hand to the visitors for their two-goal lead, their third was a piece of sheer brilliance from a man more used to playing in claret and amber. Released by Motherwell in the summer, Vigurs showed his old team just what they are missing on 53 minutes when he connected perfectly with a deep Tansey cross to send a stunning volley flying across Ripley and into the top corner.

It would turn out to be Inverness’ only shot of note in a second half that was all about Motherwell and their cavalry charge towards the Caley Thistle goal. Within five minutes they did get one back, Moult scrambling the ball over the line at the back post from a deep Lionel Ainsworth cross.

There were also shouts for a Moult penalty, Stephen Pearson cut inside and blazed over, Liam Grimshaw scudded the bar while substitutes Wes Fletcher and Theo Robinson would both see their final touch desert them during a frustrating closing period that was brought to an end with McManus receiving a second yellow for a high-elbow challenge on Dani Lopez.

“A great three points going into the international break,” said Brian Rice, the Inverness assistant manager, who confirmed Ryan Christie is a major doubt for Scotland Under 21 duty after going off in the first half with a knee problem.

“We got a fortuitous second goal, and that gave us an incentive to go on and win the game in the second half.”