Don’t be afraid of the dark
BY ALAN MARSHALL NEIL LENNON has urged Hibs to practise football’s “dark arts” better following Saturday’s defeat to Celtic.
They succumbed to just their second loss of the season when they went down 4-2 in a remarkable game at Celtic Park.
With Flo Kamberi’s goal in the 63rd minute giving Hibs hope at 2-1, Odsonne Edouard netted the first of his double for Celtic just seven minutes later.
And Lennon insists experienced Australia internationalist Mark Milligan should have prevented James Forrest from setting up the goal by “taking one for the team” with a foul on the winger.
He said: “For the third goal Milligan should take him out and take the foul.
“You’ve got to do your dark arts better. Milly is an experienced player. If he’s running away from you, just take a foul. We talked about it before the game.
“That’s where we got a little bit exposed, with a lack of pace at times in certain areas.”
Lennon admitted he “gambled” with an adventurous line-up and was pleased with the way his team got at Celtic.
But he has confessed to being less than happy with his side’s attacking play before they perked up after the interval.
He said: “I gambled. I came here with two strikers because I want to get on the front foot, I want to expose them. And we exposed them a lot.
“We should have been a bit more clinical in the final third, particularly in the first half. We worked the ball into good areas but lacked a little bit of belief.
“In the second half we were far better.
“In the second half my front two started looking like the players we know they can be.”