Neil Lennon dedicates Dunfermline cup semi-final win to late father Gerry

Neil Lennon dedicated Dunfermline’s dramatic Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final win over Falkirk to his late father Gerry following the 4-2 penalty shootout win at Barclays Hampden.

The match did not really come to life until the second half of extra time when Pars’ 17-year-old substitute Lucas Fyfe hit the bar before Falkirk substitute Henry Cartwright was sent off for picking up a second yellow card, the latter for diving in the box.

After 120 goalless minutes, Dunfermline substitute Tashan Oakley-Boothe scored the decisive penalty to take the Championship outfit, who are looking to get up to the Premiership through the play-offs, to their first Scottish Cup final in 19 years.

Asked about his immediate thoughts after the match, former Celtic captain and manager Lennon said: “I was thinking about my father. I lost him in December. He would had loved this. So that was for him.

“He was the biggest influence in my life, professionally and personally so he would have loved this.

“He would have been outside with cigarette, Fedora, his walking stick, telling everyone, ‘I told you’.

“He would have loved it. So I’m hoping the family will take a bit of solace in this today.

“It’s been difficult  but he’s always been with me. I feel calm when I think about him so.

“Again, it’s been a huge loss to me, but I feel him sometimes, you know what I mean?”

In the shootout, Falkirk’s Brad Spencer hit the post and Liam Henderson had his penalty saved by Pars keeper Aston Oxborough with Ben Parkinson and Filip Lissah scoring.

Josh Cooper, Charlie Gilmour and Chris Hamilton all scored for Lennon’s side leaving Oakley-Boothe to fire in the winner.

Dunfermline will play the winners of Sunday’s Celtic versus St Mirren last-four game in next month’s final and Lennon could be taking on his former Celtic and Leicester boss Martin O’Neill, currently in interim charge of the Parkhead side.

“Emotional if it happens, and that’s not take anything away from St Mirren who have already won one cup,” said the Dunfermline boss.

“You wouldn’t write them off, but it could possibly be Martin’s last game as a manager.

“And for me and him to go… I’ve never done it before, but I mean it’d be a hell of a story.

“He wouldn’t want to talk about it until afterwards, him being him.

“He’s got a lot of work to do still with the league and obviously tomorrow as well.

Falkirk boss John McGlynn described as “rubbish” the quality of the game which he admitted was a missed opportunity for a club who have already exceeded expectation by securing a top-half finish on their return to the top flight.

The 64-year-old said: “There was a lack of quality in the final third.

“Our crosses were poor in open play are crossing from set plays were poor, and  which ultimately, is why we didn’t score.

“We had 120 minutes to score a goal that would have got us through. It came down to, on the day, a lack of quality.

“I think both teams could have been there until this time next week and not scored a goal.

“It didn’t surprise me watching it. The quality was rubbish. It was poor.”