Game on despite the furore

Neil Lennon can see some good coming out of the referees' strike in the long run. Celtic have been vilified as the main protagonists in the lead up to the officials' action but it may end up being right to highlight inconsistencies for the good of the game. The SFA have managed to save the SPL card and today's game against Inverness will be handled by Luxembourg referee Alain Hamer taking charge of Celtic's clash against Caley. Lennon said: "What's been going on in the last week or so doesn't put a good light on the game. But I'm optimistic that something good will come out of it. First of all I'm pleased that the game is going ahead, not only for the players but the supporters as well. It would have been a major disappointment to everyone at the club if the game hadn't gone ahead. We will see what the aftermath is after this weekend. It's not for me to comment on why there is a strike or what the reasons for the strike are, people have their own reasons for that. I understand it to a certain extent but I'm hoping that it will have a positive reaction rather than a negative one.''

Looking to the meeting with Inverness, Lennon paid tribute to Terry Butcher's side whichwill have gone almost a calendar year unbeaten on the road in the league if they avoid defeat. He said: "It's a fantastic achievement. I'm a big admirer of what Inverness represent. They are a very proud club, a community club and I think Terry has done a brilliant job, not only getting them up to the SPL but they have been one of the best teams in the league this year. They have been a real surprise package but that comes from momentum picked up from last season and obviously the experience that he and Maurice Malpas have between them. To be unbeaten away from home at this stage of the season is a great achievement for any team but for a club as small as Inverness with the resources they have, they have got to be very proud of that We know they will be very dangerous opponents but we have our own targets to focus on.''