Caley Thistle striker Alfie Bavidge refuses to blame referee after Stenhousemuir draw

Alfie Bavidge refused to blame poor refereeing for Caley Thistle’s failure to claim a massive three points against Stenhousemuir.

Amid a rash of bookings, with Kilmarnock loan signing Ben Brannan red-carded late on, the on-loan Aberdeen striker was brought crashing down in the penalty area.

Had the award been given and converted, the Highlanders would have moved a commanding eight points clear in the title race.

As it is, their five-point cushion remains.

Bavidge felt the frustration from questionable decision-making by referee Graham Grainger, but was not seeking excuses for the outcome.

It was a third winless league encounter for Caley Jags against the Warriors, following two defeats earlier in the campaign.

Frustration for young striker

One more tussle remains, with Bavidge – now with 19 goals to his name this season after netting the equaliser on Saturday – looking for better in coming matches.

The 19-year-old man of the match said: “It’s a frustrating one. We were speaking in the changing room before the game about how we needed a fast start.

“I think we just got caught cold and with our standards, it can’t happen.

“But we reacted really well and got a goal quickly afterwards.

“It was disappointing to draw. I think we’ve got enough through there in the dressing room to go and win the game.

“I thought we were on top for the most part and it was maybe just that the final pass wasn’t there.

“But we’ll dust ourselves down and we’ll go again on Tuesday, with a big semi-final to look forward to

“We reacted well to losing the early goal and that’s super important.

“I think you can also tie that in with the way we defended from the moment we went down to 10 men.

“I thought we showed a lot of resilience and character not to go and lose the game. If you can’t win a game, then  you need to avoid losing it, so it’s a big plus.

“We’ll dust ourselves down and we’ll go again on Tuesday.”

Closing in on 20 goal mark

Those 19 goals have come playing in a wider area, mostly, with Scott Kellacher policing the youngster on the left in an attacking role.

Loanee Bavidge, told recently his Aberdeen contract will not be renewed, is happy, but not getting too carried away with the tally.

He said: “It’s the most I’ve ever had in a season, professionally, so I’m happy with my numbers.

“Obviously, I think there can be more. I could have had more today.

“But no, I don’t really tend to look at it. It sounds like a cliché, but game to game, I just go into every one wanting to score as much as I can and help the team get the three points.

“I’ve been playing wide, but I quite like playing on the left. It suits me in a way as it’s less of a physical battle and more one where I can make my runs in behind and get at defenders. It’s good.”

ICT striker on penalty decision

Bavidge clearly seemed to be hauled down in the box by defender Nicky Jamieson, but again gave a balanced view.

[Source: Press and Journal]