Berwick 0 -2 Hibs: Neil Lennon angry as Efe Ambrose goes AWOL

Irked Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon is ready to reprimand Efe Ambrose after revealing he has been unable to reach the AWOL Nigerian

By The Newsroom Wednesday, 12th July 2017, 12:00 am Updated Tuesday, 12th September 2017, 12:12 pm

Berwick Rangers Chris McDonald tackles Fraser Murray of Hibs during the Edinburgh clubs 2-0 victory. Picture: SNS.

The former Celtic defender was afforded an extended summer break after agreeing a permanent switch to Easter Road in the close season but, Lennon contends, is now taking liberties.

Lennon has urged Ambrose to return to training swiftly, or face the consequences.

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“There’s no sign of Efe – so he is in a bit of trouble with the manager now. I can’t get a hold of him at all,” he said. “He was given a wee bit of time off but I think he is pushing the boundaries at the minute. The sooner he is back, for his sake, the better. I expected him back a lot sooner than this and it will be getting discussed behind closed doors.

“He’s got that to look forward to when he gets back!”

Lennon, who is ready to discuss terms with trialist Jermaine Pennant in the next 48 hours, resisted the temptation to field Wales international Simon Church at Shielfield, but confirmed that the ex-Aberdeen man is training with the Easter Road outfit.

“Simon came in on Tuesday. He is a good player, with plenty of experience – and he is still only 28,” lauded Lennon.

“He’s a Welsh international and has done very well. We are assessing his condition and fitness levels and we’ll see how he integrates with the squad.

“He has impressed us but it’s a little early to say for sure what will happen.

“Jermaine has impressed too, I’ve been very pleased with him. Again, we’ll have a discussion on him in the next couple of days.”

Hibs, who also fielded New Zealand under-20 international Andrew Blake as a trialist at Berwick, should have claimed the lead after 20 minutes when Danny Swanson produced a dazzling solo run into the box, only to be scythed down by Pat Scullion.

However, Brian Graham, captain for the night, blasted the penalty wildly over the bar. The ball, to quote Berwick’s official Twitter, had “to be retrieved from the Argos car park”.

After Fraser Murray had struck a post on the cusp of half-time, Hibs eventually broke the deadlock after 73 minutes when Danny Handling pounced on a nightmare mix-up between Berwick goalkeeper Sean Brennan and defender Ewan Herriot.

They added gloss against the tiring League 2 outfit when Sam Stanton fed a neat pass to Oli Shaw and the young marksman finished with aplomb.

l Dundee made it three successive pre-season victories last night when they defeated Brechin City 2-0 at Glebe Park.