Former Town academy defender Josh Meekings is at the centre of controversy in Scotland after receiving a retrospective ban for handling and denying a goal during his club Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Celtic on Sunday.
Leigh Griffiths’s goal-bound header clearly struck the 22-year-old's arm with the score at 1-0, an incident missed by referee Steven MacLean and his fellow officials. Caley went on to win 3-2 to set up a final against Falkirk on May 30th.
Controversially, Meekings, 22, was subsequently served with a Scottish FA notice of complaint and offered a one-match ban, which would see him miss the final, for "denying the opposing team an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball”.
Inverness have announced their intention to take the matter to a disciplinary panel with Meekings set to appear at a hearing on Thursday.
A statement reads: "Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC can confirm that it has declined the fixed one-match suspension offer in relation to the notice of complaint issued to Josh Meekings following an alleged breach of Disciplinary Rule 200 at the ICTFC v Celtic game on Sunday, 19th April 2015.
"The club intends to vigorously defend our player and is taking legal advice on the issue."
"We are extremely disappointed that this has arisen and the player himself is mentally shattered at the turn of events."
"Josh is keen to appear in person at the disciplinary hearing and we will most strongly support him by all means available.”
Meanwhile, Celtic have written to the SFA asking why no penalty was awarded and Meekings not sent off.
After the match Meekings admitted that the ball had struck him on the arm but said it was accidental: "It has come off my arm, but he is two yards away from me.
"I have just gone to throw my body in the way. Unfortunately it has come off my hand but fortunately it hasn’t been given.”
Bury St Edmunds-born Meekings came through the Town academy and skippered the U18s before joining Inverness, then managed by Ipswich legend Terry Butcher, following his release by the Blues in the summer of 2011.