Ayr United manager Gary Naysmith has launched a strong criticism of refereeing decisions that he says have unfairly cost his team points ahead of their trip to face Morton. The Honest Men sit seventh in the Scottish Championship with 12 points from 11 games, a position Naysmith feels has been directly affected by recent results.

It's not a reckless challenge, it's not a tackle where you think 'you're taking a chance'." He added that the decisions were clear errors that should be acknowledged by the authorities.

Recent penalty controversies

A disputed penalty was the decisive moment in Ayr's 1-0 home defeat to Partick Thistle on 16 October. Oisin Smyth converted the spot kick in the 45th minute for the only goal of the game. Just six days earlier, a penalty awarded to Dunfermline in a 1-1 draw at Somerset Park also proved highly contentious, with Josh Cooper scoring from 12 yards before Kyle Holt equalised for Ayr late on.

Naysmith pointed to the frequency of such calls going against his side. "It's weeks in a row now," he said. He explained that the sequence, where his team has taken two wins, one draw and two losses from the last five matches, has been heavily influenced by these incidents. You can review the full fixtures list for the season.

Morton's penalty threat

Saturday's opponents Morton, who are ninth in the table, have won their last two games, both featuring first half penalties converted by captain Grant Gillespie. The Ton are chasing a third successive Championship victory when they host Ayr at Cappielow, with their recent success from the spot a noted threat.

The last meeting between the sides ended in a 1-1 draw at Somerset Park on 29 August. Ayr have scored 10 goals and conceded 12 this season, leaving them with a minus two goal difference. Naysmith concluded by stressing the need for his players to focus on their own performance despite the external noise.

Naysmith's side will look to put the refereeing controversies behind them and improve on their away form this weekend. The match at Cappielow kicks off on Saturday, 24 October.

First reported at Greenock Telegraph