PITCH IS DANGER SAYS HIBS BOSS

Neil Lennon joined the queue of bosses slating Killie’s controversial plastic pitch last night. But the Hibs boss was delighted to have hung on for a point in the face of storming second-half Kilmarnock comeback. He said: “If we’d lost this would have sounded like sour grapes – but the pitch is abysmal. “I can understand why Kilmarnock have won seven in a row here. It’s impossible to play on it. “It’s dangerous, the players are slipping, losing their balance, falling over. “It’s dry, they should really water it. But they won’t because it’s a disadvantage to them. We’ve had to overcome that and also overcome another appalling refereeing decision. “So to come away with a point I’ve got to be satisfied. We could have been home and hosed at half-time then we had to weather the dramatic storm, if you want to call it that, in the second half.”

Hibs rookie stopper Ryan Porteous – who grabbed his first ever Premiership goal – echoed his manager’s frustration at the penalty decision.

He said: “A poor decision and a great goal cost us the three points.

“I came out of the wall and tried to block the shot. I realised it was going far wide so tried to get out of the way.

“I swung my body and from the ref’s angle it looks like it hit my left arm – which is in an unnatural position.

“But it didn’t – it came off my right arm which is tucked in to my body.”

“I think the ref guessed at it because he can’t properly see. You can’t guess in a massive game.

“You have to be 100 per cent sure. It has to be deliberate – and if it is then he has to give me a second yellow card. He hasn’t and that seems to show he’s unsure.”