NEIL LENNON has praised the performance of referee John Beaton in Celtic’s nerve-wracking Betfred Cup match against Dunfermline at Parkhead on Saturday.

Tom Boyd, the former Celtic captain and current club ambassador, caused an outcry at the weekend for his controversial remarks about Beaton on official channel Celtic TV.

Co-commentator Boyd was incensed when Beaton failed to award the home team a penalty in injury-time when a visiting player appeared to handle the ball inside his own area.

“He'll probably be welcomed down his pub tonight again,” he said. “I'm mystified. I'm not mystified. John Beaton as though it was a pre-meditated decision not to give that penalty because it was so late in the game, I'm not sure.

"It's come off his arm. Regardless of players down or whatever, he's not given a drop ball. So he's seen it hit the hand of the Dunfermline player and it should be a penalty. Outrageous decision from John Beaton.

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"We've not played well, but once again a decision from a referee may cost us in this game, hopefully we'll go on and beat not the 10 men, not the 11 men of Dunfermline, but the 12 men."

SFA compliance officer Clare Whyte is examining Boyd’s comments as clubs are prohibited from accusing a match official of bias.

Lennon, whose team won the game 2-1 thanks to a late James Forrest goal, felt that Celtic should have been awarded a spot kick.

However, he downplayed the incident and revealed that he had been impressed with how Beaton had handled the cup tie.

"I've only just heard about it,” he said. "It's probably something out of nothing, but Boydy is big enough and ugly enough to look after himself on that one.

"With the incident, I thought it was handball, but that's just my opinion. But we didn't make anything of it. It's no problem. I thought he had a good game, John, overall."