St Johnstone were left raging after referee Alan Muir awarded a penalty to Aberdeen during yesterday's 2-1 defeat to the Dons at Pittodrie.

The visitors led through a Liam Gordon header, but Sam Cosgrove’s controversial spot-kick and a second-half strike from Ash Taylor turned the game around for the Dons, with Saints substitute Callum Hendry sent off in the 90th minute.

Referee Muir pointed to the spot on the stroke of half-time when Cosgrove went down under the challenge of Shaun Rooney, leaving the Perth outfit unhappy.

And defender Callum Booth has revealed that the whistler couldn't even reveal to the Saints players who had given the foul away.

He told Saints TV: “We had scored five minutes previous so we are thinking lets grind this out and get to half-time a goal up, which we probably deserved as well.

“It is just disappointing the penalty decision. The ref can’t even tell us who gave the foul away.

“I don’t know how he’s come to that conclusion but it is disappointing.

“You then go in at 1-1 at half-time and it is a slightly difficult game all of a sudden from that decision.”

Ahead of Hamilton on Wednesday night Booth is confident that Saints can bounce back to winning ways.

He added: “It is small margins. The first goal is so important in this league. We got it today but as I say the decision has somehow gone against us.

“It is just little things that are costing us and we just need to keep our concentration and we really need to start getting results.

“We have two massive games the rest of this week to try and get on a little run.”