Dunfermline head coach Neil Lennon says the Scottish Cup final is not just a day out, emphasizing the team’s underdog status and determination. He rejects dismissive comments suggesting Celtic’s success would have been different if Martin O’Neill had been involved earlier, stating Dunfermline will not be underestimated. Lennon describes having inner belief without claiming full confidence, while recognizing the challenge ahead. He also reflects on being near O’Neill in the technical area as surreal due to their long relationship and O’Neill’s impact on his career. He cites O’Neill’s achievements at Celtic and Leicester, including promotion, Premier League finishes, and League Cup finals.
"It's not [just] a day out for us, said the 54-year-old Dunfermline head coach in the build-up to the final. I've seen a lot of comments this week about Martin [O'Neill] picking up the trophy with Callum McGregor and [how] if he'd have been here earlier in the season, he would have been winning a treble. I wouldn't dismiss us. We're the underdogs, but underdogs bite. We will come I wouldn't say brimming full of confidence but with an inner belief that we can achieve something here. We're under no illusions as to how difficult that's going to be."
"On being in the adjacent technical area to Martin O'Neill: It'll still be surreal considering how long I've known him, what he's done for my career and what influence he's had on me, he said. I was very, very lucky that I had 10 years of Martin in his pomp. Everyone talks about what he did at Celtic. What he did at Leicester was incredible. Obviously getting promotion, and then he had four top-10 finishes in the Premier League and three League Cup finals. He was on a fraction of a budget compared to the rest."
"If that was a modern-day manager now, he'd be going to Bayern Munich or somewhere like that. Celtic have won the Scottish Cup 42 times, but lost last year's final to Aberdeen. Their most recent success was in 2024 under Brendan Rodgers, when Adam Idah's late strike propelled them to victory over Rangers. Dunfermline have two Scottish Cup final wins to their name and lost 1-0 against Celtic in their last appearance 19 years ago. Both Dundfermline's Cup wins came in the swinging sixties: 1961 and 1968."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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