Dundee manager Steven Pressley insisted he had no problem with the additional minute of stoppage time referee Ryan Lee played at the conclusion of his team’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup loss to Celtic at Parkhead.
The Dens Park side, who had gone in front in the fifth-round clash thanks to a stunning Ethan Hamilton effort shortly after the interval, were moments away from securing their first triumph in the East End of Glasgow in a quarter of a century.
However, recent arrival Junior Adamu, introduced in place of Tomas Cvancara late in the contest, flicked a Sebastian Tounekti delivery into the net in the 96th minute to send the tie to extra-time, before Tounekti himself struck what turned out to be the decisive goal.
Fourth official David Dickinson signalled five minutes of added time at the end of the 90, but Lee extended that period after Kieran Tierney required treatment for a head knock and was subsequently replaced by Marcelo Saracchi.
Quizzed about the debate surrounding the extra minute that was played, Pressley said, “I have no complaints. None at all. We keep playing until the referee blows his whistle. Of course, we’re disappointed.
“Of course, if the official put up five minutes and it leads to 96 and a half. But we have to endure that. We have to stay focused. I’m just disappointed because I think our players deserved the win.
“It’s gut-wrenching. But I’m exceptionally proud of the team. To a man, they were exceptional. They left nothing out there. But not only did they show incredible effort, I thought they showed a lot of bravery.
“Bravery to take the ball under pressure and play and build. So there were so many good things and the truth is, I thought we were there. You always have to give clubs like Celtic a great deal of respect. They never give up. I just thought we were there. I’m so disappointed.
“I’m so proud of this group. Even after the late setback in the game and then the early setback in extra time, it didn’t affect us. We kept going and even right up until the last kick of the ball we still looked like we could get something from the game.
“But also, we have to look at the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is that the team is moving forward. I think as individuals, there’s been a lot of progression. But now, we have to ensure that we stay in the Premiership. That’s our challenge and we’re a long way from securing that. So we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us.”
Pressley added, “The dressing room, like myself, is super disappointed. But also, I think they know how well they performed. They know they left nothing out there. When you have that feeling, there’s a feeling of pride in your performance. So I think that that will be the case.
“One of the questions I posed to the group was that when we beat Celtic earlier on in the season, we were playing a slightly different way, a more pragmatic way, a more defensive way.
“But we’ve tried to evolve as a team, become a little bit more progressive, a little bit more controlled, have more of the ball. My challenge to the players was, ‘Can you come to a place like Celtic Park and play with that bravery and that control? And can we force our game onto them?’ I think the overriding answer was yes. So I think that’s why they should be proud of themselves.”