After Celtic's 6-2 win over St Mirren, Martin O'Neill and Neil Lennon will face off against each other in next month's Scottish Cup final in a fairytale ending to the season. The match could potentially be O'Neill's last game in management, and what a way to mark the occasion.
The pair go back a long way, with O'Neill bringing Lennon to Leicester City in 1996. When the former left the Foxes to join Celtic, Lennon would soon follow, joining the Hoops in 2000 to work under the manager yet again.
Lennon would go on to have a fantastic career in the hoops, following in O'Neill's footsteps to take over as Celtic manager years later. Now, they go head-to-head, and both gaffers are excited about it.
Speaking on Sunday, Lennon said: "We have had so many experiences, I played under him for ten years.
"When he came back up, I saw him in February and said it was 30 years since we first met, 1996, he signed me for Leicester. We have a brilliant relationship both personally and professionally, so it’s going to be an honour."
When Lennon was asked who he would have preferred to face in the final, he said: "Personally, it would have been Celtic I wanted, but professionally it would have been St Mirren. It will be a privilege and honour to take Dunfermline to compete with Celtic.
"It’s something you can never envisage until it becomes a reality. It is huge, and we won’t fear it. 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. We have something palpable to look forward to now."
O'Neill promises 'no old pals act' ahead of crucial final
O'Neill is looking forward to the final, and he'll want to end this difficult season with at least one trophy. Dunfermline showed that they can perform against Scottish Premiership teams, but now, they're going to face the biggest team in the country.
Speaking about facing Lennon, O'Neill said: "I’ve just done an interview. He’s doing some punditry work. He should just be looking at his own team instead of doing the punditry work. Who am I to talk about that?
"But yeah, he’s been fantastic for me, both at Leicester and at Celtic. His record in management is really terrific, and what a job he’s doing at Dunfermline to get to the final.
"No old pals act, that’s what it is. Yeah, great result for him yesterday. I’m just pleased that we’re in the final with him.
"Well, it’s only special if you win. I’ve been here in the losing final as well. So overall, you have to win."
Both managers certainly won't get caught up in the occasion, and there will be nothing but focus for 90, possibly 120, minutes. There is respect between the two, but both are desperate to get their hands on the Scottish Cup.
It'll be a blockbuster occasion at Hampden, but let's hope that the Hoops come out on top.
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