It was like Daz had never been away
NEIL LENNON has paid tribute to comeback king Darren McGregor – insisting the Hibs ace looks like he’s never been away.
Injuries to Steven Whittaker and skipper David Gray, as well as long-term absentee Liam Fontaine, saw McGregor, 32, thrust into the starting line-up at Partick Thistle on Saturday following more than three months on the sidelines.
McGregor – whose previous outing had been against Dundee in August – underwent surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee in September but enjoyed a faultless return to action as Hibs claimed a 1-0 win.
Lennon said: “Darren was outstanding. He was unflustered, strong and read the game very well. It was like he had never been out of the team.
“It was great to have him back and a real boost for us going into December. It was a very good day against a very difficult opponent.”
The Hibs squad was stretched to its limits at Firhill and with John McGinn suspended and Danny Swanson sidelined Lennon turned to Vykintas Slivka and Oli Shaw.
He hopes to see his options boosted for Celtic’s visit on Sunday but added: “I was really pleased with Slivka, he got better as the game went on. Young Oli came on and did a really good job for the team.” AYR have landed back-to-back Ladbrokes Manager and Player of the Month awards for the first time in the club’s history.
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