Jon Daly insisted that Raith Rovers should have been given a chance to equalise from the penalty spot during the 2-0 defeat at Easter Road on Saturday.
Two minutes into the second half, and with Hibs leading 1-0 through James Keating’s first half strike, the veteran striker appeared to be brought down in the box by goalkeeper Mark Oxley after he pounced on a short pass-back from David Gray.
However, referee Alan Muir refused to award a spot-kick, and two minutes later, Jason Cummings rubbed salt in Rovers’ wounds as he doubled the home side’s lead to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb.
Daly said: “I’ve got on the end of it just before the keeper, and by the movement of the ball you can see it’s a clear penalty.
“It’s frustrating because two minutes later they go up the park and make it 2-0.
“If you give us that, and we stick it away, it’s one all and we’re right back in the game and on the front foot. Unfortunately for us he never gave it, and they punished us.”
Daly played his first full 90 minutes for Raith after turning down a move to Easter Road to sign for the Kirkcaldy club last week.
“I was getting a bit tired towards the end but we were pushing and trying to get goals so the manager left me on hoping that something would drop in the box,” he said.
Raith boss Ray McKinnon switched to a back three to compensate for the absence of suspended right-back Jason Thomson, but the formation was quickly changed to a back four as Rovers were completely overrun in the early stages.
The home side had several early attempts on goal before deservedly opening the scoring on 22 minutes.
Keatings collected Liam Henderson’s pass 20 yards from goal, and after shifting the ball onto his left foot, the former Hearts striker curled a brilliant strike past Kevin Cuthbert.
Raith came into the match towards half-time and Grant Anderson forced Oxley into a stunning finger-tip save from his powerfully struck right-foot volley from the edge of the area.
Raith started the second half on the front foot, but after failing to win a penalty when Daly was felled in the box, Rovers conceded again in the 49th minute.
Lewis Stevenson’s cross was flicked towards the back post by Keatings, where Cummings was unmarked to knock it over the line.
McKinnon responded by throwing caution to the wind, pushing three up front, and James Craigen should have reduced the deficit when he latched onto sub Craig Wighton’s flick to go clean through, but his finish was weak and Oxley saved easily.
Raith boss McKinnon said: “We’ve pushed all the way to the end to try and get something out of it.”