THE facts of the case were being picked over long after a verdict had been reached.

They can be presented clearly, yet there is still room for interpretation.

Manuel Pascali's challenge was robust and he used both feet, but the Kilmarnock midfielder connected with the ball and there was no hint of malice. Whichever way you look at it, it is not going to change the decision to send off the Italian, yet it is that contention which informed the outcome of the game.

There are demands on officials to help referees make the big calls, so it would seem hypocritical to chastise one when he offers advice. But they are also made to look more vulnerable if it appears they got it wrong.

Andrew Dallas knows that better than anyone, the fourth official having wandered into the spotlight when he directed referee Stevie O'Reilly to dismiss Pascali on Saturday, only to then have it shone in his eyes after the match.

Kenny Shiels, the Kilmarnock manager, was perhaps being arch when he intimated afterwards that Dallas was "easily influenced", while expressing concern at the fourth official's lack of experience. It is not the first time that Shiels has questioned the quality of Scottish officials – Kilmarnock succeeded in having rescinded the red card given earlier this month to Cammy Bell – but the Kilmarnock manager refuted any suggestion that there is a lingering enmity between referees and his club.

That will hopefully be the end of it, but in the immediate aftermath of a defeat by St Johnstone the concern was to evaluate the strength of the evidence against Pascali, to the extent that the facts of the match were almost considered inadmissible.

"It looked two-footed," said Murray Davidson, who scored St Johnstone's first goal. "He has won the ball, but by the letter of the law I think it is a red card. I don't think the boy has gone to hurt him and maybe he has just got carried away. But I wasn't too far away and it looked two-footed.

"The referee has taken a bit of time and I didn't think he was going to get sent off. I said to [Pascali] there was no need for it, but I don't think he's that type of player and I like to get stuck in myself. But everyone knows that if you go in two-footed then you risk getting sent off."

Pascali was, and it took time for the match to recover. When it did both sides emerged with credit. Kilmarnock did well to disguise their disadvantage but not well enough to deny St Johnstone their first win in more than a month. The success was shared around, but some players will have taken more from it than others; Liam Craig, in marking his 200th appearance for the club, and Davidson, using the game to gauge the progress he has been making this season.

The St Johnstone midfielder has impressed sufficiently to earn his first senior Scotland cap earlier this month but his influence became diminished as his side sought after the break to stymie Kilmarnock. His goal in the first half – his fifth of the season – shows he is steadily maturing into a proficient, top-flight midfielder, though.

Davidson is trying to address his desire to add goals to his repertoire, a pursuit which has been aided by a private target which he shares with Craig. "I'm much closer than he is," said Davidson.