Boss goes ballistic at ref as ex Celtic and Tottenham star debut ends in nightmare fashion after shock move

A former Celtic and Tottenham star’s debut after a shock transfer ended in terrible fashion after signing for struggling Dunfermline Athletic.

Newly-appointed Pars boss Neil Lennon returned to the dugout for the first time since August last year but got his reign off to a poor start after watching his side crash to a 3-0 loss against Scott Brown’s promotion-chasing Ayr United at Somerset Park.

And ex-Hoops and Tottenham midfielder midfielder Victor Wanyama - a fans’ favourite during his time at Parkhead before earning a £13 million move to Southampton in July 2013 - was unable to make the type of impact he had wished for on his return Scotland after agreeing a short-term deal until the end of the season.

Referee Iain Snedden brandished a straight red card at the Kenyan international for handling the ball outside the box in the second half after losing possession deep inside his own half. Wanyama’s instinctive reaction under pressure saw him slip and reach out to nudge the ball away with his hand.

Speaking post-match after the heavy loss, a livid Lennon - who was himself booked for his protests - said: “Victor slipped, and his initial reaction was to reach out for it, but I thought we had Jeremiah there. I don’t think their guy would’ve been clean through.

“Listen, I’m not happy with the referee. I got booked for apparently contesting a decision where my player got flattened, and their guy remonstrates with the ref and still doesn’t get a card. It was a very strange performance from him.”

Lennon was also left furious over a penalty appeal that was waved away, insisting his side were hard done by after Connor Young was seemingly tripped inside the box.

“Connor is about to pull the trigger, he gets tapped. Everyone is telling me there’s definitely contact,” he added. “There’s no fourth official to have a go at, so the linesman is the nearest one in my eyeline!”

Despite venting his frustration with the standard of officiating, Lennon admitted that Wanyama - a free agent since leaving MLS side CF Montreal at the beginning of January - is till finding his feet as he looks to build up his match sharpness.

He confessed: “I knew Victor was rusty. He needs to get minutes into his legs as quickly as possible. Now he’ll have to do it with a lot of conditioning work and training with the squad and be ready for next week, hopefully.”

The result leaves Dunfermline deep in relegation trouble towards the foot of the Scottish Championship with Wanyama now set to miss Tuesday’s clash against Livingston at East End Park due to suspension.

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