GARY Oliver believes Jamie Stevenson should have been sent off for the tackle that has left him sidelined for two months.

The former Ton midfielder opted to cynically take down the 23-year-old during last Saturday’s cup clash.

The former Hearts and Queen of the South striker landed awkwardly on the Cappielow turf and said he heard a cracking noise when he crashed down on the surface.

A trip to the hospital later confirmed he had broken his collarbone, which will rule him out until the end of January.

Referee Mike Roncone opted to yellow card the former Morton player, who apologised to Ton boss Jonatan Johansson on Tuesday night, but Oliver felt his punishment could have been stronger.

He told the Tele: “I’ve just got to rest and recover. 
“I’ve got a sling on it just now, at least it wasn’t one of my legs, it could have been worse.

“I had a few friends watching the game so they took me straight to the hospital afterwards and I got an X-ray and it was confirmed.

“I had just knocked the ball by the boy on the halfway line and he’s just wiped me out and taken me completely out of the game.

“I landed awkwardly and I heard a crack straight away so I knew something wasn’t right.

“He didn’t try to win the ball, he just tried to stop the game. 

“In another game that’s probably a red card. The boys were telling me afterwards the tackles carried on flying in.”

The forward told the Tele he expects to be out for up to eight weeks, but hopes he can return before then, as long as he can keep his fitness up while his collarbone is on the mend.

The 23-year-old was annoyed at the timing of the injury, when he had just begun to get a run in the team under Johansson.

The striker had started nine games in a row for the Greenock outfit, his longest stint of consecutive starts this campaign after being in and out of the side.

He added: “It’s not come at a good time. I was starting to get a run of games but these things happen in football.

“Hopefully I’ll only be out for six weeks, but we’ll see how it progresses. 

“I’ll get on the bikes and keep my legs working.

“I’ve had a few days at home but I’m heading into training tomorrow to get a check-up from the physio and see if I can do some leg weights and get on the bike for a bit.

“It’s pretty painful at the moment, I can’t move around much and it’s painful when I get out of bed.

“This is my first broken bone and fingers crossed it’s the last.”