Kilmarnock assistant manager Stevie Frail insisted his side had plenty to be encouraged by despite their 3–0 defeat to Rangers but argued that a series of major refereeing decisions “went against us at crucial moments” and shifted the flow of the game.
Manager Stuart Kettlewell, who was sent to the stands in the second half, shared that frustration.
Frail said that while the defensive lapses leading to the three Rangers goals were disappointing in their own right.
He said that the “big moments” in the match left Killie feeling aggrieved.
He pointed first to the early chance for Bruce Anderson, which he believed could have changed the entire complexion of the contest.
“We should score at 0–0,” he said.
“Bruce goes clean through, they clear it off the line, it goes for a corner - and then the referee pulls it back for offside when he’s four yards inside his own half.
“That’s a momentum builder for us that gets taken away, and instead they get the free kick. I’ve no idea where he thinks the offside is.”
Frail also felt Kilmarnock had a genuine claim for a penalty after David Watson appeared to be pulled as the ball was in play.
“There’s contact, and the pull continues into the box,” he argued.
“We feel there should have been something there, but again it goes against us.”
He reserved his strongest criticism for the flashpoint involving Jack Butland and Bruce Anderson, believing the Rangers goalkeeper was fortunate to remain on the pitch.
He said: “At 2–0, in our view Bruce gets there first and we think it’s reckless. For us it looks like a red card.
“If that happens, it’s 10 v 11 for the last 15 minutes and you never know - you get one goal back and the whole place changes.”
Despite those grievances, Frail conceded that Killie must still look inward.
He lamented: “We don’t usually concede goals by being carved open, and yet we’ve given up a few soft ones.
“That’s on us. We’ll analyse that because those are the things we have to fix.”
He also noted a string of offside calls in the second half that he believes were incorrect.
“Four of them were clearly on,” he claimed.
“These moments build pressure and they matter when you’re trying to get back into a game.”
Frail admitted Kettlewell was “very disappointed” to be dismissed but said it stemmed from passion and frustration.
“When you feel big decisions are going against you, it’s hard not to show emotion,” he said.
“He works incredibly hard for this club, and he’ll be hurting tonight. But he’ll go again - we all will.”
Looking ahead, Frail said Killie remain confident despite the setback.
He said: “We’re coming off two really promising performances. We take the positives and get ready for Aberdeen next Sunday.
“We want to be climbing the table, not looking the other way.”