Dunfermline boss Neil Lennon insists his team will be fearless when they take on Celtic in next month’s Scottish Cup final.
The Pars booked their place in the final after beating bitter rivals Falkirk on penalties at the national stadium yesterday.
That was their third Premiership scalp after also seeing off Hibs and Aberdeen in previous rounds.
Lennon’s men have hit good form at the business end of the season and could yet go on to win promotion from the Championship back to the top flight.
The final will now see an emotional reunion between Lennon and his former club, who are managed by his mentor, Martin O’Neill.
But he is adamant there will be no inferiority complex, saying: ‘It is huge. We will not fear it. We have something palpable to look forward to now.
Dunfermline boss Neil Lennon is flying high after their Scottish Cup semi-final win at Hampden
Dunfermline’s players celebrate reaching the final after a penalty shootout victory over Falkirk
Lennon is looking forward to a reunion with former club Celtic and mentor Martin O’Neill
‘It can be a catalyst, a motivation, for getting into the play-offs and having a go in the play-offs.
‘That is where you want to be at this stage. It is amazing that we are in the national cup final.
‘When Lucas [Fyfe] hit the crossbar in extra time, I thought: “Maybe it’s Falkirk’s year”. The Gods were maybe on our side.
‘But I think we deserve it. We are here on merit. Look at the sides we have beaten. We have talent. They are fit lads, they’re hungry and they have covered themselves in glory.
‘I’m emotional about it [facing Celtic]. It could possibly be Martin’s last game as a manager.
‘For me and him to go against each other… I’ve never done it before. It would be a hell of a story.’
Lennon arrived at Dunfermline last year with the short-term objective of saving the club from relegation.
That he has now led the club back to their first Scottish Cup final in 19 years, as well as being in strong contention to win promotion, speaks of excellent progress.
They have three league games remaining, starting with a clash against league leaders St Johnstone on Tuesday night.
‘In the league, the progress has been incremental,’ he said. ‘Getting to the cup final has been a huge surprise.
‘Having said that, I did fancy us in the games at home against Hibs and Aberdeen. These boys have got big-game mentality.
‘A lot of them could step into the Premiership even though they are young because they have got talent.
‘We have got a good balance in the team, good athleticism as well. We have recruited pretty well.
‘Could I see us where we are when I came in? The rise has been meteoric really.
‘Everyone thinks we have bags of money. We don’t really. We don’t spend big on wages, we do it organically as much as we can.
‘We kept the lid on the semi-final pretty well. They are used to it now. There is no complacency.
‘They were in today to do recovery and get ready for another big game on Tuesday night against the league leaders who can maybe win the league at our place.
‘We have to be bang at it. We just keep rolling.’
