Final proves one mountain too many for Lennon's Dunfermline

"Bedraggled" is how former player Ian McCall described Dunfermline Athletic in the first half of this Scottish Cup final.

The Championship side were "pulled all over the shop" by a hungry Celtic in the opening 45 minutes and went into the interval two goals down and with their Hampden hopes already all but gone.

There was a genuine fear things could get ugly for Neil Lennon and his side but a half-time cajoling - rather than a scolding - and a bold triple substitution paved the route for an unforeseen response and respectable showing.

"We got a little bit spooked first half after the first goal and were a little bit off the pace," Lennon told BBC Sport Scotland.

"We got them in at half-time and we played ever so well second half but we just lacked that quality. There's not many teams who have it like Celtic have it, but second half we did ourselves justice."

Although Dunfermline didn't return to the Kingdom with the trophy in tow, the underdogs heading home with their heads held high after a positive season.

In the build-up to this story-laden final - Martin O'Neill against Lennon, the shared ties with Jock Stein, and the David v Goliath nature of the Premiership champions against the Championship side - Lennon met his former Celtic captain Scott Brown for a BBC interview.

In that chat, Lennon admitted that upon his appointment at East End Park 14 months ago, he never could not have imagined leading them to Hampden.

The sleeping giants of Scottish football were in a Championship relegation scrap and devoid of direction. Miles away from a first Scottish Cup final in 19 years.

But by beating three top-flight sides - Hibernian, Aberdeen and Falkirk - they made it, all while throwing all their energy into a promotion push.

Lennon has never hidden that was the main aim of the season, repeating as much after the painful play-off semi-final defeat against Partick Thistle last Friday.

And at times in the first half here, it looked like Dunfermline were still suffering from their gruelling league exploits, combined with a little stage fright.

Lennon was left "disappointed with their mentality" in the first half, but insisted there was "no berating them" at the break.

"I took a few batterings myself as a player - sometimes you come up against a quality team who, when they're in their groove, can discombobulate you," the former Celtic captain and manager said.

"We needed to get them in at half-time and say 'come on, you're better than this', 'be braver on the ball, you're just giving it away'."

Better in the second half they were. Dunfermline forced O'Neill out of his seat a fair few times as he could sense them growing in the game and the angst in the stands.

Josh Cooper slid home just a matter of seconds after his introduction to give the healthy support from Fife something to cheer about late on, but it was not enough to affect the outcome.

"We were much, much better second half and I'm delighted we got the goal because I thought we deserved something from the game," Lennon added.

"We're a Championship team and we have moved mountains this season and it was just one mountain too many for us."

Failing to scale the Celtic mountain is nothing to be ashamed of. It's a tough old ask. Just ask Hearts.

But Lennon hopes his young side will learn from this experience and understand what it takes to dine at the top table.

"It's the first cup final for many, they've got to learn from it," he said. "That is the standard you're going to come up against if you develop into the players we think you can be."

Whether they continue that education at Dunfermline remains unclear, with Lennon admitted that "a major rebuild" will be coming.

It would be safe to assume among those likely to leave is classy defender and captain at Hampden, Jeremiah Chiloka-Mullen.

The Scotland youth international has strolled it in the second tier this season and will surely be eyeing up a return to the national stadium in years to come with the big national team.

Lennon said he's "enjoyed this season" and the love from the support, too. He was also touched by his name being sung from all quarters of Hampden as he headed for his runners-up medal.

It's not something he's used to, being second best, but he's heading home with the hope this campaign has provided "a little taste of what can be."