THE aftermath of the Boxing Day fixture against Dundee left a Celtic defender fighting a two-match suspension yesterday, the club's manager appealing to supporters and two players missing today's match against Hibernian through injury.
The match was marked by controversy on and off the park, with five fans reported to the Procurator Fiscal and Kelvin Wilson, the Celtic centre-back, being involved in an elbowing incident with Dundee forward John Baird.
The Celtic player has been offered a two-match ban by the Scottish Football Association but it is understood he will fight this sanction. He has until 3pm on Monday to submit an appeal against the suspension but it is believed he will seek a hearing that will be scheduled for Thursday. This will allow the English defender to play against Hibernian this afternoon and Motherwell on Wednesday. But, if he loses the appeal, he will have to sit out a game with Hearts and the Scottish Communities League Cup semi-final against St Mirren on January 27.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, missed by the match officials, Wilson was defended by both Lennon and Baird. The Dundee forward said: "To be fair, I have tried to pull him back to try to get an extra yard on him. He has caught me but I think it was accidental. He was trying to get his arm out of the road."
He believed that the SFA compliance officer should not look at the incident, saying: "It was one of these things."
Neil Lennon also warned Celtic fans who were involved in disorder during the match to improve their behaviour or stay away from games. "We have a fantastic reputation wherever we go and we're very proud of that," said Lennon.
He told supporters: "Don't tarnish the reputation of the club please. If you're thinking about doing it we'd rather you didn't come."
His comments followed an apology from Peter Lawwell, the club's chief executive, for the conduct of a section of the club's support during the champions' 2-0 victory against Dundee on Wednesday night. Jim Thomson, Dundee's operations manager, had said some of the behaviour by fans was a 'throwback to the 70s''.
Charlie Mulgrew and James Forrest both also picked up injuries at Dens Park. The defender misses today's match with a rib problem, while the winger is also out after suffering another slight injury to his hamstring.
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