Meanwhile Paul Hart and Dave Penney were in total disagreement with Hart calling the challenge premeditated and 'abominable' while Penney judged it 'a good tackle'.
Hart stormed: "It was of the worst kind, the player didn't even get a yellow card; he should have been sent off.
"It was obvious he was under orders to sort him out. In fact he's told Stephen McPhail that was his job. So I've got to say that I'm disappointed with that.
Playing the game hard is what I was brought up on and I don't have a single problem with that. Tackles of the calibre of that are not on the agenda."
Penney countered: "Those kind of tackles are going out of local derbies. You've got to put yourself about and stamp your authority on the game. We certainly did that early doors."
McPhail was stretchered off five minutes with knee ligament damage and could be out for at least six weeks.