Airdrie boss blasts ref for 'not knowing laws of the game' amid controversial Ayr winner

Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe has blasted referee Alan Muir and told him to do his homework on the laws of the game after claiming Ayr's controversial winner should never have stood.

And McCabe says the whistler ignored pleas during the Championship clash to disallow Anton Dowds' winning strike, which saw him complete a hat-trick in a 3-2 win.

The Diamonds were trailing 2-1 to a Dowds double when the controversy arose in the 78th minute, after goalkeeper Josh Rae was judged to have handled the ball outside his box.

Referee Muir booked Rae for the offence, but in the process allowed Ayr to take a quick in-direct free-kick which saw Logan Chalmers tee up Dowds to curl the ball beyond Rae, who was attempting to return to his goal.

That left McCabe fuming and also led to substitute goalkeeper David Hutton and coach Bryan Prunty picking up yellow cards for their protests.

McCabe said: "I couldn't tell if Josh was in or out of his box because of the angle I was at.

"But what I will say - and this is fact - when the referee books Josh, he has to allow Josh time to get back in his goal.

"He can't allow a short free-kick - that is the rules of the game.

"That is the reason why, during the celebrations, so many of the boys are going up to the referee and trying to explain that to him.

"It's not the referee's fault we've lost the game - I thought he was poor today - but the reason we got so irate is because you need to know the laws of the game, especially as the referee. You are the official.

"We know at the side of the pitch and on the pitch that it shouldn't be given.

"If Josh doesn't get booked and Ayr take a quick free-kick, I say 'fair enough, we've been done by a bit of quick play and it is naivety on our part'.

"But by the laws