Hayes: Boss taught us a lesson at half-time
BY MICHAEL GANNON
JONNY HAYES was thrilled to chalk up another Celtic cup success after getting the school-teacher routine from Neil Lennon.
The Hoops defender was expecting the gaffer to let rip after the lacklustre first half at Hampden.
But instead Lennon went back to the blackboard as his students taught Rangers a lesson in being clinical.
Hayes said: “The manager wasn’t angry. It was more that he was like a school teacher, more disappointed than angry.
“We weren’t ourselves, we were lucky to go in at half-time 0-0. But we had Fraser Forster at the back who kept us in it first half and second half.
“We went in at half-time thinking that was probably the best Rangers have got to give us and we were still 0-0.
“Kris Ajer said in the showers that kind of win is probably more satisfying but I’d rather win 5-0!
“But it’s a reward for hard work. Rangers had some chances. But going down to 10 men for half an hour, the lads gave it everything they had.
“With injury time we basically played for 35 minutes with 10 men.
“Rangers played well and were the better team. We haven’t played half as well as we can but we’ve still won the Cup.”
Hayes held his hands up and admitted Celts managed to escape.
But he insisted it took guts to see it out in the circumstances.
And Hayes added: “We never really got going the whole game. We just weren’t ourselves.
“But we showed great character while our mentality shone through again to lift the cup.
“That will give us confidence for the rest of the season.”