V JIM’LL MIX IT

Lennon blasts back at Buddies boss after dive claim

NEIL LENNON has blasted back at ‘out of order’ St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin over his name and shame diving claims.

The Celtic gaffer delivered a furious rebuke of his Buddies counterpart’s accusation that Greg Taylor dived to win a penalty in his side’s 4-0 midweek defeat in Paisley.

Goodwin launched a scathing attack towards what he believes are the usual suspects who are cheating by conning referees into awarding spot-kicks.

But ahead of today’s trip to face St Johnstone, Lennon escalated the war of words by telling his fellow Irishman to stop deflecting from his own team’s failings and focus on their own second-half collapse.

A no holds barred Goodwin slammed Taylor for going down under a challenge by Ryan Flynn.

He said: “The penalty the other night was a joke. We need to start naming and shaming.

“I’d be embarrassed if I was some of these players watching these incidents back. I’d really be cringing.”

But Lennon jumped to the defence of his full-back and told Goodwin to get his own house in order before pointing an accusing finger elsewhere.

He said: “He’s out of order – well out of order. Greg didn’t dive. It was quite clear he was pulled back and he was also clipped by Flynn at the top of his foot.

“We’ve looked at it again and there are two contacts: one on his arm, and one on his foot. Whenever we get a penalty these days there is a whole controversy about it, but it is clear there was contact in the box. It was clear for Ajeti, and it was clear for Taylor. “Where, all of a sudden, this emergence of diving’s coming from, I don’t know.

“Greg’s one of the best pros you could work with. I think that takes away from a good performance. We won the game 4-0, and if I was Jim I would be concentrating on what happened to his team.”