Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson: VAR must be brought in; Turnbull is Young Player of Year

With the score at 3-3, referee Kevin Clancy initially awarded Motherwell an 83rd minute penalty for handball and then changed his mind after speaking to Phil O’Donnell Stand linesman Jordan Stokoe who thought the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.

Robinson said: “We had a penalty that should have still been a penalty, we’ve seen the footage. And we’ll forgive the referee on this occasion because we won.

“It was a huge call but the official got away with it.

“The linesman, he makes a decision, we all make mistakes.

“But that’s even more reason to help decisions. We need VAR.

“People keep talking about it, nobody seems to do anyhting about it.

“Even more reason that it needs to be done and it needs to be done sooner rather than later.”

Robinson described the goal fest “way too open for my liking” and added: “But it was an exciting game of football.

“I thought we got our just rewards in the end from a highly motivated Dundee team who were cavalier, they went for it.

“They had to win and sometimes it is a really dangerous animal because they left three up from corners, they left four up when we were attacking.

“With some defending we need to be better at.

“But I thought our quality in the end got what we deserved.”

On match winner David Turnbull, Robbo added: “He’s a super, super footballer.

“He’s a joy to watch. I actually thought he played about six out of 10 today in terms of David’s ability.

“He wasn’t at his best, he scores two goals, was the best player on the pitch and I still don’t think he was at his best.

“So I think that tells you how highly I rate him. For me he is the Young Player of the Year by a long way.

“Yes I’m biased but you’ve got to recognise what kind of quality we have here.

“And he just needs to keep his feet on the ground. He’s a boy who’s got his feet on the ground firmly like the rest of the young boys.

“Jamie Semple comes on and sets up the winner, James Scott scores, so it’s all in all a very pleasing day.”

Robbo said, tongue in cheek, that red card sinner Alex Gorrin owed the rest of the team a glass of Spanish wine after being red carded following his ill advised second half lunge on Martin Woods.

He added: “Listen it’s a lesson he needs to learn.

“His enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of him. We told him at half-time: ‘Please don’t go to ground, don’t give the official a decision to make’.

“And he makes a mistake. He owes the boys a wee bit of Spanish Rioja tonight I think!

“I thought our energy levels, our quality when we went down to 10 men – especially when we made the two substitutions – I thought we took the game to them and deservedly got the winner because we were positive with it.”

Motherwell didn’t even name Jake Hastie as a substitute after the player signed a pre contract deal with Rangers.

Robbo said: “I pick the best 18 players to win football matches. Everybody is available as long as they are Motherwell players.”