ROWAN Vine scored with a minute to go, but not in time to save the officials from scrutiny.
The goal secured St Johnstone's first win since October 20, as well as ending a stern resistance from Kilmarnock – who had drawn level just six minutes earlier through Michael Nelson – but the focus remained with Stevie O'Reilly and his team of officials. They were made to feel the force of pent-up terracing anger as they made for the tunnel at the final whistle.
The fuse had been burning since the fifth minute. The decision to send off Kilmarnock captain Manuel Pascali was as hard to believe as it proved difficult to forget for the home support. The Italian had gone in strongly on Nigel Hasselbaink as the St Johnstone forward broke forward but had been sure to make contact with the ball. It provoked a red card and an indignant response from his side.
The decision upset the match – and the majority of those inside Rugby Park – but Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels was considered in his reproach. He had been sure that Pascali had won the ball, but appeared to hold less confidence in fourth official Andrew Dallas, who interpreted the tackle for referee O'Reilly.
"We've had this young lad before and he is easily influenced," said Shiels. "Maybe the SPL is not be for him at this moment because he needs to get a bit more experience."
The comment was measured, but his protests at another decision moments after Pascali's dismissal saw him sent to the stand. It was an ineffective punish-ment since Shiels took up position just a few feet from the dug-out – "The referee said to me 'Kenny go to the stand' so Kenny went to the stand...I'm suffering from haemorrhoids so I couldn't sit, so I was up and down," he said.
O'Reilly would draw further controversy when he booked Vine for simulation in the first half when it looked as though the St Johnstone substitute had been caught in the box. The Kilmarnock supporters, unwilling to relinquish their sense of injustice, took to jeering Hasselbaink's every touch, a tussle with Gary Harkins moments later leading to calls from the stands for the diminutive Dutchman to be sent off as well.
When he was substituted after 23 minutes it was a result of the impact of Pascali's tackle, but it may also have been to save him some earache. "I don't know what Nigel did wrong – his boot is ripped in two," said St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas. "He didn't make a meal of it and got dog's abuse. I don't understand it."
Kilmarnock also took time to recover their rhythm, with both Jeroen Tesselaar and Borja Perez caught up in intemperate challenges. The Spaniard dropped deeper into midfield following Pascali's red card and Shiels would call for reinforcements after 42 minutes when defender Mohamadou Sissoko replaced Lee Johnson. By then his side were a goal down, Gregory Tade taking the ball inside the penalty area and holding on to it long enough to invite a run from Murray Davidson, who prodded his shot past Bell.
The St Johnstone midfielder was less assertive after the break, but only because Kilmarnock refused to be diminished by their numerical disadvantage. They restored parity after 83 minutes when James Dayton sent a free kick into the penalty area and Nelson rose to send a header back across goal and into the net.
Yet the decisive moment would not belong to the home side, Vine snatching all three points with a stabbed finishjust a minute from time. "It was so disappointing to lose the game after being so dominant," added Shiels.
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