IF the ball's over the line, it's a goal.

We were four minutes into the second half at New Douglas Park before the chant went up from the 1,300-strong Aberdeen support to the tune of 'Ye canny shove yer granny aff the bus'. The only surprise is that it took them so long to point out the basic rule that yesterday's match officials apparently failed to grasp.

Early efforts from Andrew Considine and Ryan Jack had already teed-up victory and ensured the visitors, who could well have won this match by seven or eight, would go 12 league matches unbeaten for the first time in 21 years and trim the gap between themselves and Celtic to three points. In those circumstances, it is easier to confront injustice with humour.

However, it remains a matter of deep concern that the referee, Willie Collum, hung out to dry by his linesman David McGeachie, failed to notice that an effort from Adam Rooney just before the interval had gone over the goalline by at least a foot after striking the crossbar.

With 10 minutes to go, his other assistant , Dougie Potter, would drop him even deeper in the mire. Aberdeen substitute David Goodwillie was deemed to be in an offside position when touching home a knock-on from Considine at the back post. It did not seem to matter that the Hamilton full-back, Ziggy Gordon, was more or less standing on the byeline and playing everyone and their auntie on at the time.

Overlooked for Premiership games for a couple of weeks after having red cards handed to Kenny McLean and Stephen McManus overturned on appeal on the same day, Collum is having a hell of a time right now.

Certainly, the collective display of the match officials at New Douglas Park yesterday was absolutely criminal.

Rooney also felt he should have had a penalty early in the second period when blocked by Jesus Garcia Tena in the area. Collum gave the free-kick the other way and the abuse rained down upon him, followed by renditions of 'You don't know what you're doing' and 'If you're fouled in the box, it's a pen'.

"I felt I was powerslammed to the ground," said Rooney. "I don't know what the free-kick was given for, but I definitely felt I was picked up and chucked."

Yes, Aberdeen would have won the game whatever decisions the referee had given, with McGinn scoring a third goal at the end. Collum was right to send Garcia Tena off for a second bookable offence when fouling the Northern Irishman at the edge of the area on the hour, too. However, standards have to be considerably better than this.

"Rooney's should stand as it was a good bit over the line," said Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes.

"When you see how far it was over, we should really be getting that one right. When Goodwillie has scored and the guy has been off the pitch, you should still see that. We deserved better there as well and I think Rooney should have had a penalty because he was hauled to the ground.

"Thankfully, the decisions did not impact on the result or else we might be making a bit more of it."

Despite the chaotic officiating, this was, indeed, relatively straightforward. The opening goal came after just six minutes as Considine converted from a matter of yards after Michael McGovern had pushed the ball into his path after blocking a McGinn cross that had hit off Gordon.

Within two minutes, Aberdeen were 2-0 in front. McGinn played a clever pass from the left and Jack moved clear of his man to send a crisp effort past McGovern and high into the goalkeeper's right-hand corner.

Mark Reynolds did have to clear the ball off the Aberdeen line when a Jason Scotland shot had squirmed through the legs of Scott Brown, but McInnes' side quickly regained their composure and scored their third three minutes before the interval.

The only problem was that McGeachie, in hot water just three weeks ago for disallowing a John Sutton effort as Motherwell went down at Dundee United, failed to give it.

McGinn mishit a Jonny Hayes cross on the far side of the area and inadvertently set up Rooney. He slammed his shot off the underside of the crossbar and saw it bounce a country mile behind the line, but, as everyone prepared for Collum to signal the goal, play was permitted to charge on regardless.

Accies were on the rack and found their goose well and truly cooked when Garcia Tena was rightly given his marching orders. Considine was adjudged to have fouled Gillespie before heading a McGinn cross into the net on 64 minutes and there was further controversy when Goodwillie was told his goal was not allowed to stand.

Not even Potter could find fault with McGinn's effort near the end, though, a clinical finish from a Considine pass. Aberdeen march on.

Their visit to Parkhead on March 1 becomes more mouthwatering by the week.

"I think everyone thinks Celtic will win the league," said McInnes.

"If we are another month on in March and we are still in and around things then great. Let's maybe talk about a wee bit more about it then."