Said my Bhoys were underdogs: Lennon

the opposition and what they were going to do to us. We didn’t listen to any of you, we stayed strong, we played brilliantly.”

Lennon hailed the performances of players he felt had been singled out for criticism — summer signings Boli Bolingoli and Christopher Jullien, plus skipper Scott Brown.

“The personality and character and strength of the team was evident when everyone, including some of our own supporters, had written us all off,” he added

“You are the ones who are writing all the stories, you are the so-called experts, the pundits giving your opinions on radios or TV or in the papers. You want us to fail because we have been so dominant.

“But we are not prepared to give up our title just yet, and neither are the players and neither are the board.”

Lennon is, meanwhile, hopeful of signing Kilmarnock left-back Greg Taylor before Scotland’s transfer deadline.

Sunderland have also made enquiries over 21-year-old Taylor, who is in the Scotland squad for their upcoming European qualifiers against Russia and Belgium.

When asked if they could sign Taylor, Lennon said: “Hopefully. There’s a bit of a hold-up, not at our end, it’s a third party.

“We will have to see how it develops but (Boli) Bolingoli can be absolutely delighted with his performance after being written off in more or less every single game so far.

“So I hope that really kickstarts his season because he showed a lot of good qualities.”