Lennon in a lather
CHAMPIONSHIP Hibs boss makes up with Duffy but is angered by another penalty decision and dropped points, reports Nick Rodger
BY all hysterical accounts, this was the biggest truce since that brief ceasing of hostilities in the Ypres Salient. Amid all the huffing, puffing and pontificating that has surrounded two grown men who organise folk who kick a ba’ about for a living, the cheery, pre-match embrace between Jim Duffy and Neil Lennon at least tempered the fever among those drooling observers anticipating the kind of explosiveness not seen in these parts since they started testing at the Clyde Torpedo Factory.
Perhaps the Russian tycoon, whose 65-metre super yacht berthed in the James Watt Marina, had floated his way to the Tail o’ the Bank hoping to witness another stooshie in Scottish football?
At the end of a feisty affair at a heavily populated Cappielow, the honours were even but Lennon, the Hibernian manager, was not enamoured. An incident in the first half, when Martin Boyle’s volley hit the hands of Morton’s Mark Russell, had Lennon in a lather as he appealed for a penalty that wasn’t given. He was still infuriated at full time and had words with the referee, Bobby Madden.
“That was two hands blocking a shot, it’s clear,” he hissed. “We had one against us last week when Lewis Stevenson had his arm in an unnatural position but that today was two hands. I just don’t understand it. Maybe there is an agenda? Maybe I’m paranoid. I got a half assed [explanation from the referee] but I need an explanation. I’ll not get one. It’ll be poor old Lenny being the victim again.”
Lennon had marched off the pitch and missed the handshakes of a couple of Morton players and a member of staff. He apologised but added: “It’s tunnel vision but I shook hands with Jim, that should be enough. I don’t need to shake hands with half the crowd as well.”
Hibs remain well ahead at the top of the championship but they continue to stutter towards the finishing line and this was their 13th draw of the campaign. “I’m going white,” said the flame-haired Lennon as he underlined his exasperation with his men.
There was plenty of goading from the respective sets of supporters while the activity on the park was lively with energetic industry but not much invention. It was the visitors who looked the more menacing going forward and they winkled out a couple of good openings that came to nothing.
Lennon’s side were asserting their authority and an opener arrived just after the half-hour. With the hosts temporarily down to 10-men, with Jamie Lindsay waiting to come back on, Hibs broke upfield and Jason Cummings shrugged off his man and curled a fine finish high into the net.
Hibernian were worthy of their half-time advantage but Morton were not going to curl up and surrender to the league leaders. The home side emerged for the resumption with purpose and kept beavering away in a nip-and-tuck tussle. They got their rewards on 66 minutes when Jamie McDonagh was felled in the box by Darren McGregor and Lawrence Shankland stroked in the resulting penalty.
McDonagh, who had appeared as a second-half substitute, helped to embolden Morton and this full-bloodied encounter remained evenly poised. Nobody could steal it, though, and for the second time in just over a week these two teams couldn’t be separated. Mercifully, Duffy and Lennon didn’t need to be separated at full time either.
“It’s water under the bridge,” said the Morton manager. “We’ll not blame the poor old press but there’s been a few arms and legs added to it. We wish Hibs well and we’ll focus on ourselves.”