REFEREE Dougie McDonald has today admitted he made an error by awarding Rangers the penalty from which Kris Boyd gave them an early lead at Kilmarnock.

McDonald gave the spot-kick after Boyd went to ground under pressure from Simon Ford, with Kilmarnock players questioning how much contact had actually been made and whether it was inside the area.

Boyd went on to complete a hat-trick in the 3-1 win yesterday.

McDonald told the SFA website that he had made a poor judgment.

"At the time I had a clear view from a good position, as both players came together," he said.

"My immediate impression was that Ford had barged Boyd, allowing him to play the ball.

"However, having seen the TV footage, it is clear that Ford played the ball before bumping into Boyd and that no infringement actually took place. The decision to award a penalty was incorrect.

"I am disappointed in myself in that my own high standards have been compromised."

Killie boss Jim Jefferies had sharp words for McDonald after the match.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Jefferies was less than pleased to discover McDonald will be the referee at their CIS Cup Final against Hibernian next month.

He said: "I just found out today that he's the referee for the League Cup Final so I hope he has a better day then than he did today.

"I don't want to say too much as I will get into trouble.

"But these are hard enough games and the last thing you need is to give Rangers a gift and a lift so early in the game but, unfortunately, Mr McDonald did that.

"Stunned' was the word when he gave the penalty.

"I don't think any of the Rangers players looked for it, so you'll have to ask Mr McDonald why he gave it."