Lennon does not regret McCoist spat

NEIL LENNON insists he has ‘no regrets’ over his famous touchline feud with Ally McCoist as the countdown continues to the latest renewal of the Old Firm derby this weekend.

The Glasgow rivals will meet in the Scottish Cup semi-finals at Hampden on Sunday ahead of potentially four league fixtures next season after Rangers clinched their Premiership return.

Lennon and McCoist clashed in the aftermath of a 1-0 win for Celtic in the Scottish Cup five years ago and the pair had to be separated when the Northern Irishman reacted angrily to a comment from the then Ibrox assistant manager. The 44-yearold is back in Glasgow ahead of the last four showdown on Sunday and admits it is easy to get caught up in the intense atmosphere of derby day.

“It is something that the game does to you, it brings out instincts in you that you probably wouldn’t normally show,” he said. “But there is just so much pride at stake as well when it comes to these games. It means a lot to staff, both sets of players and certainly both sets of fans.”

He added: “There was a lot going on that night and I have no regrets. I am sure Ally doesn’t have any regrets either.”

Celtic boss Deila could hand debuts to the likes Erik Sviatchenko and Patrick Roberts at Hampden and Lennon knows it will be a day to remember for any Old Firm first timers.

“Even in my first game all those years ago, the first 45 minutes was a blur. I was lucky because we played Rangers back-to-back, so it was a Wednesday night and then a Sunday,” he said. “So I was really well prepared for the second game. For the novices and the debutants, it is going to be something different that they have never experienced before.”