Current Hearts striker Steven Naismith has backed Don Robertson’s decision to give Celtic a penalty last night after Greg Taylor looked to be fouled in the area.
Speaking on PLZ Soccer, Naismith felt that even though the penalty was ‘soft’, with the pace that Taylor was running at the contact that looked to be made was enough to bring him down and for Robertson to award a penalty.
“When he’s running at that pace to get into the box, it doesn’t take much to knock him off balance.
“So I’d say it was a penalty. With the footage you get, you don’t necessarily see the full thing.
“People might say it’s soft but it is what it is. He’s put himself in a position where the defender is having to react and knows he’s in trouble.
“He reacts and for me it is a penalty.”
I think with this I’d have to agree with Naismith on the situation. The penalty is a soft one and in a way probably wouldn’t be too surprised to see the referee skip over it.
However, with Taylor running into the box his arm appears to be pulled as well as his heels clicked. The slightest of contacts would be enough to bring him down and infringe his run so ultimately you can see why it was given by the official.
No doubt there will be continued discussion about is over the coming days though, until the next flashpoint in Scottish Football at the weekend.
