Neil Lennon bemoans ‘really unfair’ schedule in Dunfermline’s Scottish Cup run

Neil Lennon expressed exasperation over the “really unfair” fixture schedule his Dunfermline team have been given in the lead-up to this Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Falkirk.

The William Championship side have had to play rescheduled matches in each of the past two midweeks.

Lennon opted to make wholesale changes to his team for Tuesday’s league match away to Airdrie with this weekend’s Hampden showdown in mind and – although they were still able to eke out a 2-2 draw – the manager felt the fixture could easily have been played at a later date.

“I’m really annoyed about how many games we’ve had to play leading into this game,” Lennon said at a press conference on Thursday.

“It’s been really, I think, unfair.

“We’re getting punished for players getting picked for Scotland and for getting to the semi-final. The game on Tuesday could have been moved a couple of weeks down the line before the end of the season.

“So we’ve had to go Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday into this game.

“People might have been complaining about the integrity of our team selection on Tuesday. Well, it’s not our fault. Our hands were forced into that – and we got the result anyway.

“But if other clubs were upset about my team selection they should take it up elsewhere. We did ask a couple of times if other games could be moved and it was a big flat ‘no’.”

Former Celtic, Bolton and Hibernian boss Lennon, whose side are facing their third Premiership opponent after beating Hibs and Aberdeen in earlier rounds, is relishing the challenge of trying to lead Dunfermline to their first Scottish Cup final since 2007.

“We’ve played very well to get here, so we want to make the most of it,” he said. “I’ve told the players that nobody remembers the semi-finals, so let’s try and make that next step.

“It would just be another accomplishment for me, I’ve had a good career. I’ve faced up to a lot of challenges and overcome them. This would be up there with any of them – I’m really excited about it.”

The semi-final pits Dunfermline against burgeoning Falkirk striker Barney Stewart, who spent the first half of the season on loan with the Pars before returning to the Bairns in January and notching 10 goals in less than four months.

“Falkirk are a real success story,” said Lennon. “They’re a blueprint for a lot of clubs, including ourselves. We want to be where they are, but that takes time. They’re a vibrant team.

“We’ve had Barney on loan here and he’s gone on to do really good things this season. In the box, he’s dynamite. A lot of his goals are one-touch finishes.

“He scored eight goals in 12 games here. The challenge was, could he take it on into the Premiership? He’s done that.

“I think he surprised a lot of people. He’s had a meteoric six months. Credit to him. He’s a good lad as well.”