Neil Lennon could match two Celtic records tonight

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Neil Lennon could incredibly match two Celtic records in Europe tonight.

It’s fair to say the Northern Irishman has been making an impression since becoming the permanent manager. Lennon has won all five of his competitive games so far. Including friendly matches, he’s won seven out of eight and remains unbeaten.

Lennon has indeed only suffered the one defeat since taking temporary charge back in February. The 2-0 defeat at Ibrox was Lenny’s only slip-up yet, but the impressive nature of the football Celtic have been playing during pre-season has caught the eye.

And, deservedly, when Celtic take to the field against Cluj tonight, Lennon could gain another feather in his cap with a win. Celtic have, so far, won their first two away matches in European qualifying. The successes over Sarajevo and Nomme Kalju away from home were routine enough.

And tonight, with a win over Cluj, it would match a club record of three successive wins away from home in Europe. Our overall record when it comes to European away days doesn’t bear thinking about. The last manager to achieve three successive away wins? Neil Lennon.

Back in the 2012-13 season, Lenny managed successive wins in Helsinki, Helsingborgs, and Spartak Moscow. A win tonight and he’ll match that record.

And the second of the two records?

In addition to that, Celtic have never won more than five consecutive matches in European football. So far, they’ve managed four under Lennon this season. A win tonight would see them rack up five straight successes for the third time in our history.

The first came back in the 1965-66 Cup Winners’ Cup. The Hoops beat both Go Ahead Eagles and Aarhus GF home and away. That would then be followed up by a 3-0 home win over Dynamo Kyiv, before a 1-1 draw in Ukraine ended the run.

The second time? Once again, Lenny was at the heart of it. It was during Martin O’Neill’s incredible run to Seville. Suduva and Blackburn Rovers were both dealt with in home and away successes. The Hoops then overcame a tough Celta Vigo outfit 1-0 at Parkhead in the third round. A 2-1 defeat in Spain that saw Celtic squeeze through on away goals was a victory overall, but it wasn’t on the night.

Lennon has a history of European success with Celtic. It started as a player, and he’s continued it as a manager. He continues to make and match his own records.

Indeed, if Celtic actually beat Cluj both home and away, they’ll have broken the five-game winning record.

Lenny will be keen to make sure things are taken just one game at a time. But there’s no denying that another win tonight, and he’ll certainly have won over even more of the supporters who doubted his appointment.