Lennon’s fury at ‘inexcusable’ Hibs
IT was a tale of two strikers at Easter Road as Hibs and Motherwell shared the spoils.
Anthony Stokes and Louis Moult bagged braces in an end-to-end clash, which keeps both teams comfortably ticking over in mid-table.
Yet Hibs boss Neil Lennon was furious at full-time and ripped into his players for throwing away a two-goal lead.
“It was a good game, a good tempo,” he began. “But what we have done is inexcusable. We did it against Hamilton at home and we’ve done it again here.
“I have a very experienced back four, big boys, and an international goalkeeper.
“And they didn’t lead, they didn’t manage the game, I’m not happy at all.
“It’s something I am going to have to address.
“The first goal is pathetic. The fact that Moult is free for a start but my goalkeeper has to come and take it.
“The second goal is embarrassing in terms of people diving in, giving themselves up, getting rolled, my goalkeeper gets beaten at his near post.
“But it was coming, we were asking for it. If the players don’t like what I am saying publicly I do not care.
“We gave them all the warnings and if they are not big enough to take responsibility on the pitch then I’ll have to change it, and I will.”
Unanimity is rare in football. It’s a game of opinions, after all.
Hibs fans weren’t shy in expressing theirs in response to the Rangers EBT statement their club issued through the week.
It stated the Easter Road board had arrived at a unanimous view that the matter should be dropped.
“13,000 season tickets – zero opinions heard – ‘Unanimous?’” was the punters’ response, unfurled on three banners.
They weren’t the only ones illustrating the virtue of opinions as the game raged.
Ref Barry Cook did his bit when faced with three first half penalty decisions.
One – for Hibs – was given, while two – one Hibs, one Motherwell – were denied.
In purely numerical terms, Cook got the count right – but he probably singled out the wrong incident.
Martin Boyle was the recipient of the whistler’s favour after he skipped into the Well box with 21 minutes on the clock.
With Charles Dunne on his heels, Boyle hit the deck and Cook pointed to the spot.
Having earlier been denied a stronger claim himself when Carl McHugh appeared to clip his heels in the box, Stokes may have enjoyed a sense of poetic justice after stroking the penalty straight down the middle past Trevor Carson.
Motherwell’s Richard Tait, however, who was booked for simulation at the other end after flying over Marvin Bartley’s outstretched leg, must have been miffed.
It began to look like Hibs’ day when Stokes doubled his tally 11 minutes after the restart, poking home with the outside of his foot from 10 yards out after a long spell of pressure. But Moult refused to be upstaged. First he pulled a goal back by beating Ofir Marciano to a Craig Tanner free-kick, then drew Well level with an absolute peach.
Substitute Gael Bigirimana was the provider, teeing Moult up for a stunning, near-post finish after the Hibs defence were slow to close down at the edge of the box.
If Neil Lennon has anything to do with it, they won’t be as sluggish in future.