HEARTBREAKER LENNY LAPS UP CELTS RETURN
Lennon says Edouard winner is ‘psychologically huge’ on return
NEIL LENNON last night praised his Celtic players for how they had performed in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ shock departure and predicted their last-gasp win over Hearts will be “psychologically huge”.
An injury-time strike by substitute Odsonne Edouard ensured the Parkhead club beat Hearts 2-1 at Tynecastle and maintained their eight-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership.
“I’m ecstatic,” he said. “It’s a great win at a difficult place under the circumstances.
“You never stop believing with this group that they might make something happen.
I can’t knock the players. The mentality is absolutely brilliant and I can’t fault them tonight. It’s a brilliant win and psychologically huge.”
HEARTS 1 CELTIC 2
NEIL LENNON last night praised his Celtic players for how they had performed in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ shock departure and predicted their last-gasp win over Hearts will be “psychologically huge”. An injury-time strike by substitute Odsonne Edouard ensured the Parkhead club beat Hearts 2-1 at Tynecastle and maintained their eight-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership. Lennon, who has taken over on a temporary basis until the end of the season after Rodgers joined Leicester City on Tuesday, was disappointed Ollie Bozanic cancelled out James Forrest’s goal in the second half after the home team had been reduced to 10 men with Jamie Brandon’s sending off. However, the Northern Irishman, who took his place in the dugout in Gorgie despite only meeting his players an hour before they got on the bus to Edinburgh, was overjoyed at the result in his first match back in charge. “I’m ecstatic,” he said. “It’s a great win at a difficult place under the circumstances. You never stop believing with this group that they might make something happen. I can’t knock the players. The mentality is absolutely brilliant and I can’t fault them tonight. It’s a brilliant win and psychologically huge. “I’m not going to be critical of the team tonight. It’s been a really difficult couple of days for them. They lost Brendan then there was a quick turnaround. That’s not easy for them. They covered themselves in glory again tonight. “I only met them as a group an hour before we left for the hotel. They’re alright now, they’re in good spirits now, so I’m delighted. I am so happy for the fans. It’s been a really tough couple of days for the players and also for the supporters.” Lennon admitted he had been apprehensive before the game. “It was an emotional night for myself,” he said. “It was really nerve-wracking beforehand. Knots in the stomach, that type of stuff, because you don’t want to let people down. “In the end, it’s a great relief and a lot of joy, but it’s only one game and there’s still a long, long way to go. But, psychologically for me, it’s a huge step forward.” Celtic conceded a goal in the second half after Kristoffer Ajer was caught in possession after a pass from goalkeeper Scott Bain inside his box. Lennon admitted he may alter the game plan that his predecessor Rodgers advocated in the coming days. “I’d like to stop that [playing ball out from back] because we were lucky first half when we were inviting pressure and [Steven] Naismith flashed one wide,” he said. “We just gave encouragement we didn’t need to give and we were then sloppy for the penalty, but that’s the way they are. I can’t change that overnight and it may be a work in progress. “We just gave Hearts a lifeline we didn’t need to give. We didn’t lose control of the game, but we gave them something to hang onto and we didn’t need to do that.”