Inverness CT 1 Aberdeen 1: Diplomacy not in Butcher job description amid fear of dole asylum

Sunday 16 September 2012

Terry Butcher would never have found a career in the diplomatic corps.

Custom byline text:

Frank Gilfeather

Despite having had an appropriate period of time between the end of this game and his meeting with the media, he had no desire to mince his words.

The central issue in a tempestuous second half came, according to the Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager, when Mark Reynolds, the Aberdeen centre-back, clashed with Aaron Doran as the young attacker homed in on goal following Richie Foran's through pass with 10 minutes left. The home player went down and, as referee George Salmond waved away claims of a penalty, Butcher fumed on the touchline.

It was, the former England captain insisted, the kind of decision that sees managers handed their P45s as he dismissed suggestions by the match official that his player had simply scuffed his shot before falling over."A Martian would have seen that was a penalty," he argued. "These are people who are in charge of my future, my job. I want referees to be accountable.These are the kind of decisions that get managers the sack." Butcher also had harsh words over the 55th-minute red card for Owain Tudur Jones, his ball-winning midfielder, who returned to action after a two-game suspension for an ordering-off against Kilmarnock and whose challenge on Ryan Fraser caused gasps from sections of the crowd. "It was no more than a yellow card," he claimed. "If I had been still playing I would have been sent to prison for assault. It was never a red card."Being reduced in number did not force Inverness heads down and when Graeme Shinnie sent Shane Sutherland into the area in the 66th minute and Russell Anderson, the Aberdeen captain, reacted by slicing him to the ground, there was never any doubt that it was a penalty kick and that Anderson would be shown a card of a red hue.And, when Foran, a star performer for the home side, beat Jamie Langfield from the spot, it acted, too, as a spur for Aberdeen.With personnel parity restored, there was a fiery conclusion to this game and when 17-year-old Cammy Smith, on the pitch for just 60 seconds as a substitute for Ryan Jack, rose to meet a Jonny Hayes cross, his header was placed beyond Inverness goalkeeper Ryan Esson for the equaliser.That set up a pulsating end to a game that came to life only after the interval. Until then, only the occasional roar of a high-powered motor-bike racing across the nearby Kessock Bridge, was worthy of note.The fact that a sizeable queue began to form at the catering van housed in the north-west corner of the stadium 10 minutes before the interval, told the story of a dire first half. Aside from two or three inviting crosses from Hayes – the winger returning to the Highland capital since his departure in the summer and booed by the home fans with every touch – there was nothing to excite, while Jamie Langfield, the visitors' goalkeeper, might have been troubled by Graeme Shinnie's shot from 16 yards had it contained sufficient beef.No-one could have predicted what was to accompany part two of this affair, however; not even the managers who, during the interval, would have demanded better from their players. What the spectators were offered was never going to bring plaudits from the purists, but there were two goals, a couple of red cards and enough biting tackles to place a casualty ward on standby. "We deserved a draw," said Pittodrie manager Craig Brown. "I was pleased with the fightback from my players, even though it took them until the second half before they switched on."

Contextual targeting label:

Block list

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Inverness CT 1 Aberdeen 1: Diplomacy not in Butcher job description amid fear of dole asylum

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED