Frustrated boss Jim Goodwin has hit out at refereeing calls he believes denied Aberdeen a winning end to the season.
Goodwin reckons referee Don Robertson got two crucial decisions wrong to deny the Reds victory in the 0-0 draw with St Mirren.
Whistler Robertson chalked off a Ross McCrorie first-half strike before overruling a penalty call later in the half.
Goodwin insists McCrorie’s strike was a ‘legitimate’ goal.
He also slated Robertson’s decision to overturn a penalty award for hand-ball as ‘baffling’.
The Dons boss wanted to send Aberdeen supporters into a summer of squad reconstruction with a win and optimism.
He reckons bad refereeing calls derailed this plan.
It was a match which also saw club legend Andy Considine say an emotional farewell after 18 years in the first team squad.
Considine, 35, had the offer of a one-year contract extension withdrawn.
He led the Dons out as captain and received a guard of honour and standing ovation.
Goodwin said: “We should have had some goals for the supporters to cheer about who again turned out in great numbers.
“It was very, very frustrating.
“We had the ball in the net, legitimately in my opinion.
“The referee gave a foul on Jak Alnwick when Marley Watkins is just standing his ground.
“That should have stood as there’s no way in the world Marley Watkins fouled Jak Alnwick.
“Marcus Fraser is in between Marley and Jak so how the referee can come to that conclusion is beyond me.
“Then, of course, the penalty incident.
“If the linesman on the near side had overruled the referee for a push in the back I could maybe accept that.
“But he said the ball hit off the back of Scott Tanser’s head as opposed to his arm which is just baffling.
“So we should be a couple of goals up.”
‘I sound like a broken record’
Aberdeen finished the Premiership campaign third bottom of the table.
It is the first time since 2013, the Reds have finished in the bottom six.
For Goodwin, the match was a microcosm of Aberdeen’s troubled season.
He said: “We must have had 70 percent possession and plenty of opportunities on goal, so it was a very frustrating afternoon again.
“I sound like a broken record as I’ve talked about plenty of the ball, but not having the composure to finish it off.”
Emotional farewell for club legend
Long-serving defender Considine made his 571st, and final, appearance.
He called time on his Aberdeen career exactly 18 years to the day after his first team debut, in a loss to Dundee on May 14, 2004.
Goodwin is confident the 35-year-old Scotland international will secure a new club in the summer transfer window.
He said: “Andy’s been a great servant to this club and it was always on my mind to let him have the arm band and lead the team out.
“He leaves here with our best wishes.
“I’m sure that he will get fixed up in the summer.”
🔴 One final lap of Pittodrie for Andy Considine.#StandFree | @AndyConsie4 pic.twitter.com/DFFiKVHyTR
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) May 15, 2022
Up against former club St Mirren
Goodwin was up against his former side St Mirren for the first time.
He left the Paisley club in mid-February to take over at Pittodrie.
He admits the chance to move to Aberdeen was ‘too big to turn down’.
He said: “It was really strange to face St Mirren, but the fans gave me a nice hello.
“Some of them were disappointed with the way we left, but I loved my time at St Mirren and everybody knows that.
“I had five-and-a-half years there as a player captaining the League Cup-winning team, which was one of the highlights of my career.
“I’ll always be grateful to them for giving me the chance to go into full time management.
“But the chance to come to a club of this size was far too big to turn down.”
