DROP IN STANDARDS IS UNACCEPTABLE

NEIL LENNON has told his Hibs players there will be no excuse for standards slipping after producing their best against Celtic.

The Easter Road side were 10 minutes from shattering the Hoops’ unbeaten domestic run before the international break.

Callum McGregor’s leveller extended it to 58 games but Lennon said: “Now there are no excuses – that’s their marker, that’s what I know I can get from the team. That’s what they can produce so I’m looking for more of that on a consistent basis.

“We’ve brought some good players in and they certainly showed at Celtic Park what they’re capable of. If they can play like that for 94 minutes – as strongly as that, as composed and as disciplined – then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to do it against Motherwell or Hamilton at home where we’ve seen them fade in the second half. That’s not physical, that’s a mentality thing and maybe an expectation in the game. They manage the big matches well but every game is a big one.”

Hibs will move within four points of second-top Aberdeen with a win against the Dons tomorrow and Lennon added: “Over the last three or four years they have been consistent – up there challenging and in Europe. That’s the marker for us.”