SCOTT BROWN last night described Andrew Davies as "cowardly" as he accused Ross County's captain of deliberately trying to injure him.

The Celtic captain was left writhing in agony last week when Davies stuck his boot into Brown's groin as the midfielder lay on the ground and with the ball yards away.

The County defender was sent off and will serve a two-game suspension; a punishment Brown felt would have been far more severe if he had been found guilty of such a crime.

There has been a lot of talk about the incident over the last seven days but this was the first time Brown had his say - and he did not mince his words.

“Looking back, it’s quite bad," he said. "At the time I didn’t realise how bad it was because I slid in with Billy Mckay, we were arm in arm, and I fell over, pushed the ball and he’s waited for us and stood on top of me.

“But let’s be honest. If that was me I’m getting a solid five-game ban and probably not playing again for the rest of the season. I’d be all over the papers for weeks on end and he’s got a two game ban.

“Jeez, I kicked Neymar on the back, my big toe almost touched him, and I got a three-game ban. So there are rules for some and not others.

“As everyone says it’s part and parcel of the game going in for a tackle but to do it cowardly is not great."

Asked whether Davis had made an attempt to apologise, Brown added: "No. Nothing. That would be the manly thing to do."

Brown was angered at the leniency of the ban which the SFA did not, as some expected, extend due to the seriousness of the challenge.

And the 32-year-old was not happy at suggestions he somehow deserved being on the receiving end for once.

Brown said: "I think it's different rules for different players. I think because everyone has been talking about my tackling but I’ve never actually deliberately stood on anyone’s hee-haws before, but he has done me a favour because I didn’t want any more kids so it saved me going to the hospital.

“For me, I play hard but I play fair for most of the time. Now and then you mistime one, get booked, and it’s fair play.

“But I don’t every stand on anyone, especially where he stood on me as well because he’s waited, the ball has gone flying past and he’s properly went for it.

“You can see on his face he’s just walked off and for him being a captain of a team in a relegation battle, who probably has players looking up to him as captain, for him to do that is probably not what Ross County need at the moment.

“You tackle. I slide tackle. I might miss it now and again but I’ve never gone in waist height to properly hurt someone or stood on them.

“People may say I deserve to get it because I give it out but I give out to go and win the ball, to win it hard and now and then you mistimed a tackle but that’s part and parcel of the game.”

Craig Levein, the Hearts manager, said earlier in the season that Scottish football needed protecting from Brown.

"He seems to be talking just to talk for the sake of it," said the Celtic captain.

“But, for me, I play week-in, week-out, I play hard, and get booked now and then. I’ve been suspended once this season, whereas Graeme Shinnie has had two suspensions already.

“So I don’t know where he is getting those accusations from.

“I will maybe have a couple of mistimed tackles but it’s never a lunge or a two-foot stand on someone’s groin."