I’d never stoop to comments like Lennon’s ‘caveman’ jibe

MARTIN CANNING has hit back at Neil Lennon for dismissing his Hamilton side as ‘cavemen’ — and insists he would never resort to making comments about another team’s players.

The Hibernian boss was fiercely critical of Accies’ physical approach, describing their tackling as ‘a disgrace’ and saying they had tried to ‘kick the c**p’ out of his team after they were held to a 1-1 draw at the Superseal Stadium.

He also complained the visitors had not received enough protection from referee Don Robertson in a match which saw five home players booked.

But Canning hotly disputed Lennon’s accusations yesterday and suggested they were made purely out of frustration after Hibs failed to claim all three points.

‘He’s said what he’s said and it’s done as far as I’m concerned,’ said the Accies boss. ‘I totally, wholeheartedly disagree with what he said but we’ll move on.

‘Maybe it’s deflection on his part because they felt they really should have won the game and I can understand that frustration.

‘However, I will defend my team and that’s why I’m saying that wasn’t the case at all. I’m defending our club and making the point that our style of play is not how he’s made it out to be.

‘Hibs played well, especially in the first half, but I never felt during the game that either side were over physical, so I was surprised when I heard about that.

‘I’ll maybe have a go at a referee who has made a bad decision but one thing I would never do is comment on another team’s players. However, each to their own.

‘That’s what Neil felt after the game and it was disappointing to hear that but we’re just looking after ourselves and making sure we do our jobs properly.’

Canning admitted the pair did not discuss Lennon’s comments.

‘It’s not something I particularly want to go into — I don’t want to start: “He said this and then he said that”. But I wouldn’t do what he did.’

Canning claimed that the worst tackle in the game had actually been committed by Hibs midfielder John McGinn.

‘There might have been a couple of bad decisions during the match but, when you review it, probably the worst tackle came from John McGinn, a two-footed lunge on Danny Redmond — although there might have been a wee slip which made him come off the ground.

‘But, for me, that was the only dangerous moment in the entire game.

‘As well as that, there were a couple of professional fouls from us in order to stop the game but there wasn’t anything over physical or over aggressive.’

Simon Murray opened the scoring for a dominant Hibs but Accies earned a point through Antonio Rojano’s 72nd-minute effort, which was the home side’s one shot on target.

‘Neil probably feels Hibs were the better team and that they deserved to win the game,’ said Canning.

‘But, when that’s the case, the least I would expect from my players is they compete and give their all to try to salvage something from it.

‘We weren’t at our best but that’s exactly what we did. We competed all over the park. There have been a few games we’ve dominated this season and our opponents just gave up, but that’s something this group don’t do.

‘Thankfully, against Hibs we managed to stick at it and grind out a point from a match we didn’t really deserve anything from.’

Canning claimed Accies’ 3-1 win at Easter Road earlier in the season was proof they don’t play a rough game.

‘In terms of our style of play, we went to Easter Road and won 3-1 and we were excellent on the day,’ he added. ‘We passed the ball and dictated the game.

‘We don’t have a reputation for being dirty and I think it’s just down to frustration from Neil.

‘As a club, though, that’s just not the way we go about our business. We proved at Easter Road that we prefer to get the ball down and play — our third goal that day is a great example of that.

‘Listen, sometimes you can say things in the heat of the moment because of how you’re feeling but, if it was me in that situation, I wouldn’t comment on the other side because I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.’