GARY MacKENZIE isn't one for feigning injury. So when St Mirren's commanding central defender is found lying flat-out like he was on the turf at Tannadice on Saturday, it's clear there's something far wrong.
MacKenzie was pole-axed by Thomas Mikkelsen, Dundee United's Danish striker, who left him crumpled in a heap following the seventh-minute flash-point which left Jack Ross' side feeling overwhelmingly aggrieved.
The 6ft 4in former Rangers, Blackpool and Notts County centre-back is renowned for his considerable physical presence, but for once he came off worse as Mikkelsen's waist-high challenge was somehow permitted by referee Craig Charleston as the Dane proceeded to lash home a thunderous volley.
Mikkelsen even admitted later to MacKenzie he'd been guilty of a foul and, while the spirited visitors recovered to equalise on two separate occasions, it still contributed toward Saints having their impressive unbeaten record of late brought to an undeserving end.
"I didn't even know it was a goal,” reflected MacKenzie, who went on to level matters with a towering 39th-minute header.
“I was just lying on the deck at the time and thought the noise was for the foul not being given.
"But I then got up and saw the goal had stood.
"So a wee bit of the red mist came down as to why that kind of goal could possibly have been allowed to stand.
"It was just actual disbelief that it wasn't a goal.
"I've taken it on my chest and he's cracked me. The fella himself, to be fair to him, said that it was a foul and he caught me just near the waist.
"But you can't take that back because it's a goal."
This was Saints' first defeat in eight games as Blair Spittal's last-minute winner gave their promotion-chasing opponents victory on Tayside after Tony Andreu's second-half free-kick for United had been cancelled out by substitute Josh Todd's exquisite 86th-minute strike.
It was tough on Ross' players, especially as it coincided with them slipping back into the second-bottom play-off spot, and were later critical of Charleston again for punishing captain Stephen McGinn for what was deemed a deliberate pass-back which led to Andreu's goal from an an indirect free-kick inside the box.
MacKenzie, though, remains confident they can lift themselves accordingly for their remaining two Championship fixtures with Raith Rovers and Hibs in their fight for survival which is going to the wire.
"We deserved something over the course of 90 minutes,” stated the 31-year-old defender.
"So it's disappointment plus a bit of frustration with both there goals.
"We just had to get on with it and I thought we reacted well.
"We settled back down and were the better team.
"A point would have been good but we have to get on with it against Raith Rovers.
"Everyone believes we can win against Raith. That's what we'll be setting out to do.
"We'll be going all out to get three points to put us in a good position going into the final game."
Meanwhile, goal-scorer Andreu conceded Ray McKinnon's men were second-best to their Paisley visitors.
However, the on-loan Norwich City attacker knows how vital winning ugly can be at this crucial stage in the season as they sit just a point behind second-placed Falkirk.
Frenchman Andreu said: “I think that we didn’t play very well.
“Overall, they played better than us if I’m honest. They kept the ball better.
"We made it hard when we conceded the late goal and we didn’t defend well enough for it.
“We showed a great response though and we won.
“In the end, we showed that we wanted it more. That’s what we need to hang on to for the next games.”
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