JOHN HUGHES, the Ross County manager, accused Hibs’ matchwinner Martin Boyle of “conning” the referee with his best Tom Daley impression in Dingwall.

The Ross County manager felt referee John Beaton was taken in by a clear dive for the Edinburgh club’s equaliser, with the striker making and taking the spot-kick just two minutes after Billy Mckay’s early second-half opener.

Hibs then went on to claim a massive three points through Kevin Nisbet’s first goal in nine games to move six points above Aberdeen in the race for third place.

Hughes, though, felt the 52nd-minute spot-kick should never have been awarded.

“I felt Boyle played for the penalty. I felt he went into him. The last time I saw a dive like that the boy had Speedos on!” he said. “I am expecting better from John Beaton, but he only gets one look at it.

“That’s what I was talking to him about at the end. You need to see it, that’s what you get paid for and we expect better than that.”

Hibs took a massive step towards third place, climbing six points above Sberdeen with six games to play, but Kilmarnock were the winners in the relegation fight with both County and Hamilton Accies, just above them, losing.

Hughes, though, is delighted by his team’s late season progress in their scrap near the foot of the table.

“I feel sorry for the lads because they deserve more. I have trust in them and I can see us come along leaps and bounds,” he said. “The attitude is there, they have a good physical presence. I want better football but they are giving me everything.”

Hibs were close to full strength and Christian Doidge was restored in place of the recently misfiring Nisbet.

The latter’s moment would come from the bench. March 13 marked a big anniversary for the Staggies. Five years before, the Dingwall team had won their first major cup silverware by beating Hibs at Hampden Park in the League Cup final, with current Hibs midfielder Jackson Irvine in their ranks.

Hibs would conspire to spoil the occasion, but only after an extremely close-fought 90 minutes.

An early blunder, inside four minutes of play, saw on-loan Celtic teenager Leo Hjelde fail to sense danger as he sent a rash back-pass towards keeper Ross Laidlaw, but picked up by the alert Boyle.

He dragged the ball to outcoming Laidlaw’s left and cut the ball back to Chris Cadden, who cut his shot over the bar from 15 yards.

Neither side found much fluency or threat as the first half petered out.

A sudden deluge of icy rain hit the ground, but the action was soon hotting up.

County grabbed the lead five minutes into the second period after Jason Naismith’s initial cross was knocked away by Ryan Porteous, but cut back in by Jordan Tillson.

Jordan White’s downward header set up Mckay for a side-footed finish high into the net.

Hibs hit back swiftly, though, with Alex Iacovitti harshly adjudged to have tripped Boyle in the home penalty area. Boyle confidently smashed the spot-kick straight down the middle.

County should have regained the lead soon after but Keith Watson’s low strike was blocked by Ofir Marciano and White’s attempt on the rebound went straight into the Hibs keeper’s arms.

It proved costly as Hibs stormed back, with Paul Hanlon’s cross from the left picking out substitute Kevin Nisbet at the far post for a simple tap-in.

Jack Ross, the Hibs manager, refuted Hughes’ diving claims aimed at Boyle and also played down talk of any kind of rift between him and the club with matchwinner Nisbet.

Birmingham City’s advances were resisted in January, with Nisbet tabling a transfer request and failing to score in eight games since netting at Celtic Park.

The 24 year-old, though, has been nothing but exemplary in his conduct, Ross stressed.

“Kevin was subject to significant interest. For a young player, that was head-turning but there was never any issue for either Kevin or the club,” Ross said.

“He knows he can be part of a team that finishes third and he’s edging towards 15 goals, towards top scorer in the league.

“If he does that, I’m sure there will be opportunities again.

“Kevin is a young man who has had a fairly steep upward curve in his career - and rightly so.

“The rewards that are on offer on the other side of the border are fairly significant.

“There was never any issue - I was still supportive of what he had to consider.”

Ross insisted there was still “work to be done” in the race for third place and added: “I thought we were excellent in the first half, really dominant.

“In the second half the game becomes open. You might say it wasn’t pretty, but I thought we were excellent.

“What we’ve not been brilliant at this season is coming from behind in games so, to do that, with the reaction we showed, is pleasing.

“The whole lead up to the game has been that this is the biggest game of the season for us.

“That’s how we treated it as players and staff. We didn’t want to downplay it in any way as our games in hand.

“Now the next one [away to Livingston] becomes the biggest game.

“There’s still a lot to do.”