Csaba Laszlo: Ref got it wrong in sending off Michael Stewart

Aug 18 2009 By Gary Ralston

HEARTS boss Csaba Laszlo stuck up for sinning skipper Michael Stewart last night and insisted the midfielder didn't deserve to see red.

Danny Cadamarteri struck a debut double as Dundee United won 2-0 at Tannadice but the Jambos' cause wasn't helped by the dismissal.

Stewart was cautioned by ref Steve Conroy for a first-half tackle on Danny Swanson then fell foul of the whistler with another beefy challenge on Scott Robertson.

The Hearts star is now out of the SPL clash at home to Rangers on Sunday but he will skipper his side against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia on Thursday night.

Laszlo said: "The second yellow card was unlucky and if you asked 20 people then 18 would tell you this was not a red card.

"But the ref gave it so what can you do? It would be different if Michael had punched someone.

"There were more aggressive fouls out there that didn't result in yellow cards. But we didn't lose because of Michael Stewart.We lost this game together as a team.

"Any discussions I have with Michael on this issue will be done internally, not in the media. It is my duty to protect my players."

The result was the last thing Hearts needed before taking on Dinamo in the Europa League qualifier but Laszlo was bullish. He added: "If we'd won 6-0 tonight we could still go to Zagreb and lose 5-0. It's most important we played good football and although we lost 2-0 we still created good chances."

Energy United boss Craig Levein sang the praises of new boy Cadamarteri, who opened the scoring with an early penalty before sealing victory with a clincher five minutes from time.

Levein said: "Danny's goals thrilled me. His workrate is super, as are his energy levels and he's fantastic in the air. He's a strong guy and I wouldn't want to take him on in a fight.

"We need his experience up front but Danny Swanson also had his best United performance by a mile. He's a bit of a maverick but he has worked hard to fit into the team this season.

"I subbed him towards the end because he was getting tired and they were lining up to kick him - three of them had a go. He's feisty and I was worried he'd get involved in something he didn't need to.

"Winning was important but so was the fact we deserved to win."

Taken from the Daily Record