Content Lennon plays to the crowd
NEIL Lennon’s gesture at full time inside East End Park may have been made in the name of banter, but the Hibernian manager is now edging that bit closer to doing it for real.
Just three days on from his Jim Duffy bust up at Easter Road, all eyes were on Lennon once again here while walking off the park in the wake of this 1-1 draw with Dunfermline Athletic. After being the target of verbals from the main stand, only further exacerbated by the Northern Irishman’s angry reaction to Dylan McGeouch being booked for diving in the second half, he strode off the park, turning to the dispersing crowd while holding aloft an invisible trophy in response.
While those Dunfermline fans are probably just happy to consolidate sixth place in the Championship with a well-earned point, Lennon’s team are now nine points clear at the top with just five games remaining. Frustration will remain that they couldn’t close out this game to bring it closer, but the gesture at the finale tells the story of a man who knows glory isn’t far away.
“They were giving me pelters so I was just laughing at them,” said Lennon. “It should have been out of sight. We missed gilt-edged chances after half time and I don’t know how we missed them. It seemed harder to miss really than score. I thought it was a good performance. We are dragging it out. It is frustrating but we will keep going.”
Hibs did create enough clear chances to put this game to bed, but it was a moment of individual brilliance from John McGinn which looked to set them on their way after 10 minutes. A Hibs corner was poorly cleared as it found the Scotland international in space, who then strode forward until 25 yards out before smashing a low left-foot shot fizzing through a cluster of bodies and into Sean Murdoch’s left-hand corner.
The goalkeeper redeemed himself with a great save to deny McGinn from similar distance only 30 seconds after the break. Brian Graham then missed an open goal from three yards as Jason Cumming cut back the rebound.
Despite the lack of pressure on the Hibs goal from the hosts, their chance would be handed to them on 57 minutes. A thundering Paul McMullan shot rattled off what appeared to be the arm of Lewis Stevenson. Referee Greg Aitken initially didn’t make the call, but assistant Willie Ferguson flagged for a spot-kick. Kallum Higginbotham stepped up with a stuttered run to shoot low to Ofir Marciano’s right and despite getting a strong hand to the ball it crept in.
Dunfermline manager Allan Johnston was content enough with a point. “Hibs were probably slightly better in the first half and us slightly better in the second,” he said.