NEIL Lennon expects to see a reaction from his players as Hibernian prepare to take on Livingston in the Betfred Cup quarter-final.
The Hibs boss was fuming with his side’s ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ performance against Motherwell on Saturday, when they gave up a two-goal lead as they were held 2-2 to make it three draws on the bounce.
They host Livingston tonight and Lennon made it clear he expects his players to bounce back in what he expects to be a tough game.
“Whenever we’ve had a disappointing or adverse performance, I’ve always had a decent bounce back from this group,” he said.
“I like this group, but sometimes they throw one in from left field and you’re like ‘where does it come from?’
“You’re left scratching your head but it’s down to me to make sure it’s not a regular occurrence.
“Sometimes they’re Jekyll and Hyde, really good for long periods and then a malaise sets in and they can’t get themselves out of it.
“We need to rectify that or try and make it better.”
Lennon was openly critical of his players following the game, and admits it has coaxed improved performances out of his side before
He said: “I can’t sugar coat abject performances. I lambasted them after Raith Rovers last season and then we went and beat Hearts comfortably on the Wednesday night.
“Whether we get that type of reaction again, I don’t know.”
He added: “They know they let themselves down, they’re disappointed but we’re over it now and have a quarter-final to look forward to which is a big game in the context of the season.
“It is one we should approach in a positive manner whilst still respecting the opponent, because Livingston had another great win at the weekend.
“They’ve taken to the Championship very well and it’s a quarter-final so we have to be right at it.”
With Celtic clear favourites to retain their Premiership crown, Lennon is targeting cup success.
“It’s important for our club to get to the semi-final,” he said.
“There’s only two real opportunities (to win something), with the league maybe beyond us, there are two competitions we have done pretty well in the last couple of years and I’d like to keep that going.”
Marvin Bartley is the only fresh concern for Lennon as he prepares for Livingston.
The midfielder hurt his back in training yesterday, and will be assessed ahead of the game tonight but is expected to be fit.
Central defenders Liam Fontaine (ankle) and Darren McGregor (knee) remain long-term absentees, while Lennon also admitted he is likely to shuffle the pack against the Ladbrokes Championship side following on from that lacklustre showing against Motherwell.
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