PARS boss John Hughes was "frustrated and disappointed" to see his side go down at Hamilton with a controversial second half penalty decision proving the difference between the two teams.

Dunfermline captain Graham Dorrans was shown a straight red for what referee David Munro said was a handball on the Accies line however video footage suggested the contact had been closer to his chest rather than hit his hand.

With the Lanarkshire side going ahead with the resulting penalty and the Pars having to play the final 30 minutes with ten men, Hughes bemoaned the decision, accusing the official of "guessing".

He said: "I went into see him and he says it was handball. He has let himself down there but we all make mistakes. I don't know what he was looking at. I get the chance to look at it, my video guys are there, it is up there (Dorrans' chest) where it has hit him.

"For a referee to give a penalty and say it has hit his hand, they must have been guessing. The referee let himself down on that decision but once again we all make mistakes. I might have picked the wrong team, chosen the wrong subs, we all make mistakes but for him to give that and say handball – and he has clearly said to me handball – he is guessing.

"He is miles off and he is guessing so for everything Hamilton had done and probably they deserve it, to get beat like that is very disappointing.

"I am frustrated and disappointed. We have had a lot of bad luck. I think you earn your own luck and we are expecting a referee to be better than that. I have said it to him and he says to me you had the chance to look at it and I said one hundred per cent but what were you looking at to give it. You are making it up, simple as that, you are making it up.

"That is not taking anything from Hamilton – Hamilton deserved to win the football match."

Hughes said he it was likely that the club would appeal the red card.

"I am quite sure the club will have a look at it," he said. "You have to go through the process but I don't know the procedure. Hamilton deserved it, were the better team. I am left scratching my head. I see it then I don't see it. So there's that consistence we are looking for."

Hughes said his side would now have to dust themselves down and look to making improvements.

"We lack a real focal threat when we only play one up front. We are better with two up front but when we play two up front it takes it away from that midfield a wee bit," he added. "We just need to find the right balance there.

"Even after all that, I would just say this, the boys stood up to it. We were under the cosh but we stood up to it in the last 10/15 minutes as well down to ten men. We gave it a good go.

"In terms of their effort, commitment, not in doubt. Down to ten men and still going, how can we score a goal, get the equaliser."

The Pars boss revealed that a knee injury had kept Dom Thomas out of the team which, he said, could rule him out for some time.

"He might be missing for the foreseeable future," he said. "He goes into see a specialist on Monday. It might be a wee tidy up in the knee. That is football, we just need to get on with it."