FORMER top English referee Dermot Gallagher insisted Celtic were denied a stonewall penalty-kick in the 1-1 draw with Sevco Rangers.
The ex-Premier League match official reckoned former Ibrox season ticket holder Bobby Madden got the big call WRONG at Parkhead on Sunday.
But Gallagher sympathised with the whistler when he ignored the Hoops’ claims after Leigh Griffiths was sent sprawling following a clash with defender Clint Hill.
The score was balanced at 1-1 – with Hill cancelling out Stuart Armstrong’s first-half effort – when the striker, with a clear sight of goal, was brought down in the act of shooting.
Madden waved away pleas by the home players as the game finished in stalemate a few moments later.
Gallagher said: “He has got it wrong, it was a foul.
“The referee is too far away, in that situation he can’t give a penalty because he is unsure.
“Because he is square on, he can only see behind Griffiths.
“The problem he’s got is that he can only give a foul if he is convinced, but he can’t give one because he cannot be sure in the position he is.
“I feel for Madden, it’s a very tough decision.”
Madden will be able to tell the story of how he won Sevco Rangers their first ever point against Celtic on the after dinner circuit for years to come.
