NEIL Lennon praised the character his side showed in today’s (Sunday) 1-0 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, on a difficult pitch and following a disappointing European result in midweek.

Ryan Christie's wide effort made the difference in Perthshire, and he and his team-mates now face Aberdeen in next month’s semi-final at Hamdpen.

“I thought we were a little tepid first half against St Johnstone,” said the manager. “We asked them to up the tempo in the second. I got what I wanted, we created really good chances before we did manage to score.

“I thought we controlled parts of the game, but at 0-0 the tie is still very much up for grabs. The pitch made it a leveller, but it was a real, proper cup tie.”

Despite some uncertainty around the goal – Christopher Jullien threw himself at the ball on its way into the net, but later admitted he didn’t get a touch – the manager praised Jullien’s efforts in forcing the ball over the line.

The Irishman likewise hailed Zander Clark between the Saints’ sticks, who pulled off a number of great stops over the course of 90 minutes.

Drawn against Aberdeen in next month’s semi-final, Neil Lennon expects a tough encounter at Hampden from Derek McInnes’ men.

He added: “Aberdeen are a tough draw. But whoever we could have got would have been tough. Aberdeen can beat anybody on their day, but the good thing is we’re in the semi-final. We’ve still got a lot to play for this season, despite a disappointing result in midweek.

“They’ve picked themselves up and have performed again today. There wasn’t much time to dwell on Thursday’s result, and there’s a good core in there.

“That’s the unbeaten cup run extended to 34. It could go at any time, but these players are coming up against all sorts of opposition and they’re dealing with it.”

Manager hails Saints win and looks forward to Aberdeen semi-final