Derek McInnes reignites Celtic penalty grievance but Kilmarnock boss confesses he should probably let it go

Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes admits Willie Collum's call to turn down a Viaplay Cup semi final penalty against Celtic still stings.

The 51-year-old was left incensed back in January when both Collum and his VAR official Greg Aitken turned down Joe Wright's appeals for a spot kick when Giorgos Giakoumakis bundled the defender to the deck in the dying minutes with Celtic 1-0 ahead. And McInnes' ire only increased when the Greek striker netted moments later to tee up the Treble winners for the first shot at their domestic clean sweep. McInnes joked, perhaps, it's time to move on seven months later but admits the no call, on a night Kilmarnock gave Ange Postecoglou's dominant side plenty to think about, still irks him.

And now the former Aberdeen boss, speaking ahead of Sunday's last 16 rematch against the holders, said: "Last season, at Hampden in the semi-final, we felt really aggrieved not being able to take it to extra time. Nothing will change my mind that we should have had a penalty in the last minute of the game. It showed we did a lot right in that game to take Celtic close.

"I believe the referee was told it was probably worth maybe having a look at but he saw it for what it was – a defender trying to buy a penalty. Maybe he should have been told to go and see the incident, Here's me, let it go, Derek. He should have been made to go and see the incident again, that's what I feel, and if he still arrives at the same conclusion then it is down to the referee's perception of it. But I felt it was a penalty."

McInnes will be reunited with Brendan Rodgers on Saturday with the pair facing off in the Final of this competition on two separate occasions with Celtic coming out on top in both 2016 and 2018.