The Scottish title triumph that Celtic recorded last Saturday courtesy of that Callum Osmand goal in the eighth and final minute of injury-time in their last match against leaders Hearts was one of their most exciting ever and will never be forgotten by either their supporters or neutral observers.
Yet, Neil Lennon, somebody who knows a thing or two about great Parkhead sides having both played for and managed a few of them in his time, does not believe the team that finished top of the William Hill Premiership will be remembered as one of their greatest.
The Northern Irishman, who will lead Dunfermline out to play Martin O’Neill’s men in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final at Hampden ttomorrow afternoon, is a huge admirer of many of their players, of Liam Scales, of Alistair Johnston, of Kieran Tierney, of Callum McGregor.
He certainly knows that his charges will have to make nullifying the considerable threat that will be posed by Daizen Maeda, the Japanese forward who has scored eight goals in his last six outings, a priority and will also need to withstand long periods of sustained pressure from their rivals during the course of the 90 minutes.
Read more:
- Neil Lennon makes Martin O'Neill Bayern Munich claim as he prepares to meet his maker
- The historic cup win that helped Jock Stein become Celtic's first Protestant manager
- Alex McLeish reveals reason Rangers blew the Scottish title - and it isn't Danny Rohl
Still, he remains convinced that newly-crowned champions Celtic, who lost eight league games this term for the first time in 26 years, are more than beatable.
He is certain the second tier East End Park club, who overcame top flight opponents Hibernian, Aberdeen and Falkirk during their run the final, can take advantage of the chinks in their armoury which he and his coaching staff have identified and pull off a huge upset.
“I don't overflow them with information,” he said. “We do snippets of analysis, we do snippets of tactical work, and then we trust them to go out and play the game, play what's in front of them.
“It's like everything in life. Mike Tyson used to say, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face’. That's what the players are going to experience on Saturday. There are going to be spells in the game where we're not going to see the ball, where we're going to suffer.
“They're good all over the pitch, but Daizen has been superb the last five, six weeks. I think he's been the difference really, certainly at the top end of the pitch. So, yeah, obviously we've got to watch him very closely.
“But the pressure we will be under is okay because that's what Celtic do to you. But they're not a super team. They are a very good team, but they're not a super team. They're fallible and they have weaknesses. Hopefully we can capitalise on that.”
O’Neill, who Lennon played for at both Leicester City and Celtic and credits with being the biggest influence on his football career, helped his side to come from behind and beat Hearts and win the title last weekend with some inspired substitutions and tactical changes.
With the two sides level and time running out, he took off centre-half Auston Trusty and left-back Tierney, put on winger Osmand and full-back Marcello Saracchi, changed to a back three and went all out for victory. His late gamble paid off and then some.
Lennon knows he will need to be switched on to from kick-off to the final whistle to mastermind a win over his wily old mentor, who is widely expected to stand down from his position after the final, in Mount Florida tomorrow.
“All the team selection, all the planning, all the substitutions, all that comes from Martin,” he said. “He might go 3-5-2 so I have to be prepared for that and I am. He might start 4-3-3, he might change in game, we might change in game. So there are a lot of factors you've got to think about.
“Trying to get hold of the ball would be a good start for us, because they're a possession-based team. But we carry a threat. We've got legs, we've got youth, we've got power, and we've got quality as well.”
Read more:
- ‘Bad law’ booze ban is causing fan unrest in Scottish football and should be scrapped
- Bowie and Lennon rocked - but Steve Clarke can get a tune out of Scotland old stagers
- Police body gives positive response to calls for new crowd control laws in Scotland
This will be the first major cup final that most of the Dunfermline players have been involved in – but Lennon is a veteran of numerous such occasions and understands the emotions that his men will be feeling as they take to the field.
But he was impressed with how they dealt with the semi-final against Falkirk, top six Premiership rivals who they beat on penalties, and is hopeful they will not make the mistake that he did when he was a youngster with Crewe Alexandra.
“It doesn't get any better and any bigger than this for me or my players,” he said. “It's the acid test. They're going to get pushed like they haven't been pushed before. They're going to get tested like they haven't been tested before. Winning games isn't easy and winning trophies isn't easy.
“As a young lad I played in a play-off final with Crewe at Wembley. It was my first time there and I got dead excited and caught up in all the hullabaloo. I went out and played very poorly and we lost on penalties. I thought to myself, ‘If I ever get the opportunity to do it again, it'll never happen like that again’.
“So when I got back with Leicester in the play-off final in 1996, I played brilliantly. So that, for me, was a real learning experience. I'm trying to pass that on to my boys now. To be fair to them, in the semi-final they handled it really well. I'm hoping that that's a lesson for them to learn for the final.”
Dunfermline have only lifted the Scottish Cup twice in their entire 141 year history – in 1961 and in 1968 - but Lennon has bristled at suggestions that reaching the final is a “fairytale” for him and his players. He knows they have to play the game not the occasion to get the result their 15,000-strong support long for.
“I don't do fairytales,” he said. “I do reality. It's not a fairytale for them. For them it's an opportunity to win a cup for the first time since 1968. The reality's out there when you're getting closed down by Daizen Maeda or you're trying to get close to Callum McGregor. That's the reality. It's going to be hard. It's not a fairytale.”
