Festive cheer for Lennon

Neil Lennon was handed a perfect Christmas present after Georgios Samaras' double in the 2-1 win against Kilmarnock took Celtic to within a point of Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Rangers ahead of Wednesday night's Old Firm game at Parkhead.

The Greece striker headed the home side into the lead in first-half added time and notched his second with a fine drive seven minutes after the break as the Hoops extended their winning run in the SPL to eight games.

Celtic boss Lennon said: "The day couldn't have gone better for us. A good performance, a good three points and we have closed the gap right up."

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