GLASGOW - Celtic midfielder Aiden McGeady has accused referee Dougie McDonald of lacking impartiality in his side's recent Old Firm derby defeat against Rangers.

GLASGOW - Celtic midfielder Aiden McGeady has accused referee Dougie McDonald of lacking impartiality in his side's recent Old Firm derby defeat against Rangers.

McDonald controversially sent off Celtic's Scott Brown after a clash with Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty at Ibrox and the hosts went on to claim a 1-0 win that cemented their position on top of the Scottish Premier League.

Just four days before the match with Rangers, an anonymous Celtic source revealed the Parkhead club had met with the Scottish Football Association to express concerns about refereeing standards, drawing an angry response from Ibrox.

McDonald has refused to rescind Brown's red card and Republic of Ireland international McGeady believes the pre-match row played on the official's mind when he sent off Brown.

"The comments before the game might have played on his mind," McGeady said.

"It's safe to say he wasn't impartial the other day. Of course, it didn't look like a red card for Scott Brown."

Celtic were also upset McDonald failed to send off Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra for persistent infringements.

Asked if Bougherra should have been shown a second yellow card, McGeady said: "Yeah, of course." - Sapa-AFP