'Cowardly, dangerous and illegal' - ex Hibs boss and former Hearts man condemn fan who threw object at Penrice

It might not have been a classic Edinburgh Derby at Easter Road today but there were plenty of high points for both sets of fans throughout the proceedings.

Hibs fans were rapturous as Mykola Kukharevych stabbed home the opener but it was the visitors Hearts who had the last laugh as youngster James Wilson netted an equaliser. There was also a touching and fitting tribute paid to Hibs legend Peter Cormack during the action.

However, there was one incident that mired the fixture as Hearts defender James Penrice was struck with an object, seemingly a disposable lighter, thrown from the crowd. The incident has of course been widely condemned including by former Hibs boss Neil Lennon and ex Hearts man Ryan McGowan.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, Lennon said on the incident: "It spoils the whole thing for me. Players should be safe in that environment, as should coaches. 

"One it's a cowardly thing to do, two it's dangerous and three it's illegal. It just gives our game such a bad look when everyone else is trying to promote the image of the game."

Australian international McGowan, who currently plays for Scottish Championship side Livingston and turned out for the Jambos between 2008 and 2013, echoed Lennon’s comments. He said: "I think the most disappointing factor is that all of the Hearts fans and Hibs fans will disagree and it's just one idiot who has done it and it reflects so badly on the whole fan group.

“It's happened at Tynecastle, it's happened at Easter Road, I think it's just really disappointing that one idiot throws that, it hits Penrice and we end up speaking about it after the game when we should be speaking about young Wilson scoring his first derby goal.”

Neither club has officially released a statement on the incident but these actions will obviously be condemned. It is also likely Police Scotland could launch an investigation to find the person responsible if they have not already been identified.