A THUG who hit Rangers ace Alfredo Morelos with a coin during Saturday's clash with St Mirren has been dubbed a "despicable coward".

Former top cop Graeme Pearson slammed the attack on the Rangers forward who appeared to be hit with a 50p coin while celebrating his goal against the Buddies yesterday.

The ex-Labour MSP told The Scottish Sun: “It’s despicable, a horrible and cowardly thing to do.

“It’s the small-minded action of a very small minority of fools who have no part to play in football.

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“If someone’s been struck by a coin, it’s a criminal act. The person concerned should be arrested.

“Clubs must do more. If they can’t control their fans they could face a fine, a loss of points or have matches without a crowd.”

After the game the Morelos' manager Steven Gerrard called for thugs to be banned from matches.

He said: “We don’t want to see things thrown on to the pitch in any stadium. It’s not acceptable. These people shouldn’t be at a football match. You just ban them forever. It’s that simple."