STEVE Lomas has leapt to the defence of under-fire referee Stevie O'Reilly and fourth official Andrew Dallas.
The St Johnstone boss insisted that if they had not sent off Kilmarnock defender Manuel Pascali in the Perth side's 2-1 win at Rugby Park they'd have found themselves in hot water.
Killie manager Kenny Shiels was furious at the fifth-minute dismissal of his Italian skipper for a challenge on Nigel Hasselbaink.
Lomas said: "I feel sorry for Manuel but it's a two-footed tackle and the rules now are that you have to go.
"If that was a sending off when I played I'd hardly have been on the pitch, but this is one of the things the refs have been told to clamp down on. We were warned at the start of the season.
"I don't think it's fair to blame Stevie O'Reilly. I genuinely feel sorry for Manny and I can understand Kenny's frustration, but it's not right to point the finger at the officials. You can't blame him."
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