Aberdeen defender Tommie Hoban has called for the rules on handball offences to be reviewed following Saturday’s draw at St Mirren.
Aberdeen centre-half Hoban was penalised for handling in the area in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at St Mirren and believes players are being unfairly punished whenever a ball strikes their arm.
He said: “I know the referees are giving them at the minute, but I know people want that rule to be looked at.
“I am disappointed that the penalty against me was given. I don’t know what I am meant to do in that position.
“It has hit my hand, but it was so close, it was maybe a yard or so away from me.
“I didn’t think my hand was overly high or out to the side, it was just in its natural position to the side of my body.”
Referee Bobby Madden was the central figure in Saturday’s draw in Paisley as he also dismissed midfielder Lewis Ferguson for a second bookable offence.
Hoban believes Aberdeen would have won the game with St Mirren had Ferguson not been sent-off. The Dons have no right of appeal as Ferguson was dismissed for a second bookable offence.
Hoban said: “I think there were plenty of decisions during the game that didn’t go our way.
“I think that the red card is also very dubious and if we stayed with 11 men on the pitch I am confident that we would have gone on to win the game.
“Coming into the game we all wanted to get the three points.
“The way that the game went, having 10 men for so long means we have to try to take the positives and in the end it probably was a decent point.
“We rode our luck a little bit in added on time but we will take the point and move onto Saturday now.
Hoban is enjoying his longest run on the pitch in years following after recovering from two serious knee injuries.
While pleased to be back playing regularly, the former Watford defender is focused on making the most of a busy run of matches in December.
The Dons face Ross County at Pittodrie on Saturday followed by games against Kilmarnock, Motherwell, St Johnstone and Livingston before Dundee United visit Pittodrie on January 2.
Hoban said: “Personally for me it is great to be playing every week. I am feeling fit and my injury troubles, touch wood, are now behind me and hopefully I can keep racking up the games.
“More importantly we need to keep racking up the wins. So we need to get back to winning ways next weekend and then have a good month, there are a lot of games coming up in December.”