Dundee goalkeeper Kyle Letheren has taken a sideswipe at Falkirk striker Rory Loy for the sending off which will see him miss this weekend’s home game against Alloa.
Letheren was shown a straight red card for bringing down the Bairns forward in first half stoppage time on Saturday, and Dundee’s 10 men were unable to recover as they went down to a disappointing 2-0 defeat.
But while the 26-year-old shot-stopper was seething at referee Bobby Madden’s decision at the time, he was perhaps more angry at Loy’s behaviour in the incident.
“It was a disappointing reaction from Rory,” he revealed.
“I said to him he knew what he was doing when he went down for the penalty. And he just got up and winked at me so that tells its own story.
“That’s why I had such an emotive reaction. He didn’t need any encouragement to go down inside the box.
“I think increasingly that’s what a lot of strikers are doing. If it was a penalty then fair enough but for me to be sent off as well was a bit much. The funny thing is I’m sure I would have saved the penalty if I had stayed on the park.
“I knew beforehand where he would put it if they got one and that’s how it turns out. It just made for a frustrating afternoon but it’s one which we can bounce back from.”
Letheren will now have to serve a one match ban, giving stand-in keeper Dan Twardzik another chance to shine.
Twardzik, who ironically saved Loy’s penalty in the aftermath of Letheren’s sending off, impressed in his recent loan spell with Motherwell and will be given the nod ahead of fellow goalkeeper John Gibson this weekend.
Letheren added: “I’ll be 100% behind Dan on Saturday. I’ll be suspended but I’ll be wishing him all the best. He’s proved before that he’s a very competent keeper.
“He’s got the right kind of temperament and he’ll handle this weekend’s game fine. I see him in training every day and he’s got a lot of good attributes.”
The normal number one’s comments have been echoed by boss John Brown, who has been impressed with his goalkeepers’ ability to perform when they are called upon.
“On Saturday Dan came on and did well, saved the penalty and made some good saves in the second half,” Brown said.
“He’s shown he’s a quality goalkeeper, plus we’ve got another one in the form of John Gibson who has done well when he’s been required. We’ve got three very good goalkeepers here.”