Robbie Neilson says the assistants got two big calls wrong during Hearts ’ last-gasp 2-2 draw at Kilmarnock.
Nathaniel Atkinson rescued a point deep into stoppage time with a thumping volley with the hosts unable to deal with a free-kick as the seconds ticked down. Stephen Humphrys had reduced arrears after Killie found themselves 2-0 up through Chris Stokes and Kyle Lafferty pouncing on a horrible Craig Gordon error with the ball at his feet.
But Neilson was annoyed that the linesmen on either side failed to spot key moments that went against his team. The first was Kilmarnock keeper Zach Hemmings punching the ball outside of his box in the first half. In the second 45, Ash Taylor hauled down Lawrence Shankland after the Hearts striker had spun in behind him. He looked to be heading off until referee Matthew MacDermid looked to his assistant, and he raised his flag for offside.
“I’m disappointed not to win the game,” he said. “We wanted to come here and win.
“But I’m pleased with the players’ performance towards the end of the game. We managed to get back to a point and the pleasing thing is that we wanted to go for more.
“There were a few decisions that didn't go our way today, which was disappointing. There were a few opportunities for us to score goals that we didn’t take, but we’ve managed to battle back and get a point.
“We had two opportunities to score early in the game that we should score, but didn’t take them. But there were two key decisions from both linesmen that they got wrong today. That happens in football. I’m sure they’ll look at it and be disappointed with their performance.”
Neilson refused to dig out his captain for what could have been a costly error at Killie’s second goal. “We want to try and control the game and pass the ball,” he told Sky Sports. “We controlled it for large periods today and moved it across the back into good areas. You’re going to make mistakes.
“I’ve asked the boys to play in tight areas under pressure. They’ll make mistakes, that’s what happens. It’s one of those things.”
As for Atkinson’s strike, Neilson was delighted to see Hearts’ late pressure pay off. He added: “We were delighted to get the goal. We pushed and pushed and had a number of chances to get the equaliser which didn’t quite come.
“Thankfully it’s fallen to Nathaniel on the edge of the box. I'm delighted for him because he’s come over from Australia and probably hasn’t played as much as he wanted. But you saw today the quality he’s got.”
Opposite number Derek McInnes was gutted not to have claimed all three points. But he admitted that was angrier about conceding Hearts’ first goal than he was over Atkinson’s late belter.
"When you lose an injury time equaliser in the manner in which we did, it’s just sheer disappointment," he said. “We put so much into the game.
“It was a proper game and felt like a cup tie. We’ve got to try and generate that here at Rugby Park.
“The players’ approach was there to win. We set them up to win, we expected to win and we tried to be aggressive.
“Obviously we’re playing against a good team with a lot of good players. We tried to implement that style, force mistakes and get after them.
“It’s a game we should be winning and we’re disappointed not to do so. You can praise the quality of the equaliser. It’s a hell of a strike from Atkinson, who’s a right-footed player and takes it out of the air with his left foot. But we gave away a cheap free-kick in the dying seconds of the game.
“But I’m more angry with the first goal we lost. It shouldn’t happen at this level, a straight level over our back lot and should have been defended better.”
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