Hearts boss Neil Critchley blasts referee John Beaton after Scottish Cup semi final display
The former Liverpool coach says he has ‘never seen a referee get a card out quicker’ for Michael Steinwender’s first half sending off at Hampden Park.
Hearts boss Neil Critchley says he and his players were left both frustrated and angered following their 2-1 extra time Scottish Cup semi final defeat to Aberdeen.
The Jambos had to play the entire second half with ten men following Michael Steinwender’s red card after the defender brought down Dons winger Topi Keskinen who was through on goal. However, replays showed that other Hearts players were potentially in a position to cover, meaning the Austrian was not the last man.
Further decisions from the man in the middle, John Beaton, irked the Hearts coaching staff as well as the fans and players. The Edinburgh side finished the game with nine men when Cammy Devlin was shown a second yellow card in extra time with Critchley astonished at a card being shown for the first of his two offences.
Hearts boss has ‘never seen a referee get a card out quicker’ in Scottish Cup semi final defeat to Aberdeen
Speaking after the match, he said: “I've never seen a referee get a red card out quicker in my entire life. To be honest with you. It's a long way from goal and we've got recovering defenders. He couldn't wait to send him off."
Critchley reveals he tried to speak to Beaton at full time, where assistant coach Mike Garrity was shown a red card, but ‘din’t get much response’ despite approaching the official with respect. That only further frustrated the Jambos gaffer.
“I tried to,” said Critchley when asked if he had attempted to speak to Beaton at full time. “I got some kind of response, yeah. But, obviously, when you try to say things in a respectful way, you hope you get respect back.
"I like to think I give everyone respect in the way that I conduct myself, in the way I speak to you guys and everyone, and you'd expect that in return. And I don't think I've got that.
"I was near my assistant [Mike Garrity] who he sent off at the end, didn't swear at him, asked to speak to him, his response was not very good in my opinion. And then when I asked him why he'd sent him off, for what reason, he then said he would send me off. And I was thinking, for what reason, for why?
“Just trying to ask why you would send him off in that situation. I did not swear, I would not do that, that's not how I conduct myself. I get frustrated sometimes on the side and show a bit of passion, but I apologise to the fourth official if he says, calm down, I get it. And you just hope you get that level of respect in return, and in my opinion we didn't get that.
“I just thought there were a few decisions all the way through the game, to be honest with you. A few questionable ones. Cammy Devlin's first booking. The second one, he's in motion, he's going to clear the ball, and the lad jumps in front of him.
"Yeah, it's a foul, but to book him, I mean, come on. Oh, wow. Wow. It was incredible, absolutely incredible. I'm gutted for the players and the supporters, they were magnificent, absolutely fantastic. And the players gave a proper Hearts performance, and I say the least we deserved was to take it to penalties, to have the opportunity to go through. And Aberdeen might still have won, but at least we would have had that opportunity, which I think the performance deserved.
“I've not been here that long, so you probably don't know me that well. I never try to criticise referees, I think they have a really difficult job nowadays, I try to show some empathy.
"And there's not much tolerance in this world nowadays of everyone's position and job, so I like to try and think I show an understanding of a difficult job that they've got. "However, today, if I performed like the referee performed, then I won't be sitting here for very long."
Neil Critchley ‘proud’ of ten man Hearts after extra time semi final defeat to Aberdeen
Despite everything involving the referee, Critchley said he was ‘proud’ of his players who, to their credit, defended manfully when down to ten men and limited Aberdeen to very little clear cut opportunities. Indeed, Craig Gordon didn’t actually have a save of note to make during the entire second half of the ninety minutes.
He said: “I'm really proud of how the team played. I thought we started the game very well. Conceded a really poor goal from their first foray into our final third."But responded really well. I thought we were a better team in the first half. Played with energy, played with intensity.
"We were positive in our actions. And then with 10 men, I thought we were brilliant. The way we defended our organisation, our character. We put our bodies on the line. And the least we deserved, in my opinion, was to take it to penalties. And give us the opportunity of getting through to the final.”
Finally, Critchley confirmed that the issue which saw club captain Lawrence Shankland limp off the pitch in extra time was cramp and nothing more serious.