Lenny out to break his cup duck
IT is a trophy that eluded him as manager of Celtic, but Neil Lennon insists Hibernian will approach this week’s League Cup quarter-final with belief they can go all the way and get their hands on the silverware.
As a player, Lennon won the English version of the tournament twice with Leicester City and, after moving north to Celtic in 2000, it was the first of 11 prizes he landed with the Hoops.
However, after two successes on the pitch, in 2001 and 2006, and despite scooping the Scottish Cup and the league title twice as manager, he failed in four attempts to lead the Parkhead side to the League Cup from the dugout.
It is a gap in his CV he is determined will be filled during his time at Hibs, and he acknowledges the Easter Road side have an excellent opportunity of going one step closer to that goal when they face Championship side Livingston on Tuesday night.
“I lost a couple of finals against Rangers and Kilmarnock as Celtic manager,” he said.
“The Kilmarnock one was disappointing because we were the dominant team and missed lots of chances.
“It was my first competition to win as a player at Celtic and first as a captain. I won two in England as well, which is pretty good, pretty special for a club like Leicester at the time.
“But it’s the only competition I haven’t won as a manager.
“From the day the draw for the group stage was made we’ve looked at it. First, could we negotiate the group? Then we took it into the knock-out stage.
“Compared to a lot of other clubs we’ve had a decent draw. We’re at home, which is good, and we’re up against lower-league opposition, although that can bring its own dangers.
“Hopefully, we can overcome it and really have something to get our teeth into. I think it’s a competition that’s worth competing in and trying to win.
“Look, we’re not going to win the league, let’s be realistic about things. But we have an opportunity to do well in the cups.
“I think a club like this should be looking at the cups. Let’s give this a go.”