Lennon: Hoops have a taste for trophies

Neil Lennon believes his Celtic players will still be savouring the taste of league title success when they tackle Hearts at Hampden on Sunday in their William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final.

The cup holders clinched the Clydesdale Bank Premier League championship last Saturday in fine style with a 6-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Manager Lennon insists securing the title for the first time in four years will fire up his players as they look to win the double, and said: "You get a taste for it. The players would have woken up on Sunday morning with a huge smile on their face and, I'm sure, with immense satisfaction with what they have achieved. And then you go again. You want more once you taste it."

He added: "We won the Scottish Cup last year and that gave them and me a real taste of success and as a manager you want as many trophies on your CV as possible.

"And we are going for the fourth domestic final in a row and that's enough (in itself) to incentivise the players.

"At the end of the day it's a cup final, it's a great day, a showpiece occasion and we want to be there.

"We are the holders of the trophy and we want to keep it if we can, but we have to beat Hearts and we will have to play well to do so."

Lennon pinpointed former Celtic team-mate Craig Beattie as a main danger to his double aspirations.

Beattie was a Scottish Cup winner with Celtic in 2007 and the 28-year-old former West Brom and Swansea striker has added a new dimension to the Gorgie side since arriving at the club in February.

"I think there has been an improvement in his game from what I have seen of him," said Lennon. "He played very well against St Mirren (in the last round), he was a real threat, and played with great maturity, something I have noticed that about him since he came back. He has obviously missed a lot of football through injury but he looks very strong."