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NEIL LENNON has warned his Hibs attackers they are placing their future at the club in jeopardy with their continual failure to kill off opponents.
Lennon has praised ‘superstar’ Jason Cummings, branding the 21-year-old a club icon because of his prolific scoring efforts.
But, with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Morton another example of the Easter Road side’s lack of a cutting edge, Lennon is becoming increasingly irked by his team’s striking failures.
Cummings has 21 for the season but Martin Boyle is the next top scorer with eight. Behind them, Brian Graham has netted five times for Hibs but not for 17 outings, whilst Grant Holt has only four to his name.
Nine points ahead with four games to play, the title is almost in the bag, but Lennon accepts the capital outfit have a fundamental problem that has bothered him since his arrival at the club.
The Northern Irishman, who could find himself in further SFA trouble after describing referee Bobby Madden as ‘pro-Morton in a lot of decisions’ on Saturday, said: “Jason Cummings is a superstar. At 21, he is already an iconic figure at the club, and quite rightly so because he makes a difference.
“His chance was probably the most difficult one and he made it himself.
“We have other, easier chances that we fail to put in the net – and that has been the source of frustration for me all season.
“Maybe that’s my fault, maybe I need to look at my recruitment.
“But I expect, with the domination we have, to be putting teams away.
PRESSURE
“We need a second goal. Why are we missing them? Look, I was never prolific myself, but some players are paid to score goals.
“That’s why they’re here and if they’re not doing it then they’re putting themselves under massive pressure.”
Hibs have suffered just one defeat in their last 21 outings but 13 draws this season have ensured they have still not sealed the Championship title.
Lennon lays the blame firmly at the feet of his attack, despite Darren McGregor’s needless lunge that gave Lawrence Shankland the chance to earn Morton a 1-1 draw from the spot at the weekend.
The former Celtic player and manager added to Hibs TV: “Anything can happen in football. We go from a period of being in control to a lapse in concentration or a mistake or whatever you want to call it.
“I get that, my defence has been unbelievable this season. It’s not an issue with my defence, or my goalkeeper, it’s going the other way.
“If you take Jason out of it, [John] McGinn and Boyle, where else are the goals coming from? And I need more from some of them.”
