Neil Lennon 'disappointed' by late Omonia Nicosia blow but boss heaps praise on young stars

Neil Lennon confessed his disappointment after a so near, yet so far start to his Omonia Nicosia reign.

The former Celtic and Hibs boss took charge of the Cypriot champions for the first time on Saturday as they were denied victory over Doxa in the final moments.

Lennon 's side led twice but were pegged back in stoppage time and forced to settle for a point in a 2-2 draw.

Despite that late sickener, the Irishman insists he was encouraged by young players stepping up to the plate.

He chose to rest a number of first choice stars in preparation for a huge cup quarter-final against AEL on Wednesday.

Lennon said: "I'm disappointed not to win the game when we were in a winning position but I'm very pleased with the young players.

"We had a young team out today, obviously we rested some first team players for the game on Wednesday so it was a good experience for a lot of the younger players.

"There were aspects of the game, particularly in the second half, that pleased me a lot."

Despite last season's success, Omonia slipped into the bottom half of the Cypriot top flight in a Scottish Premiership -style split.