Stephen Kenny Post Cup Replay

"We had a very vocal support and we had a very vocal support last week. Hopefully it is the start of an era.

After huge scenes of celebration, Stephen Kenny addressed the awaiting media:-

"I am just thrilled for everyone connected with the club, there is a lot of work behind the scenes. There is a lot of unselfish work, a lot of effort and the players themselves have had a difficult season to say the least.

"I am sure when they started the season they probably had high expectations, or reasonable expectations. It hasn't gone well and they have had a lot of kicks in the teeth this season with a well documented injury list from start to finish.

"I have been here now quite a few months and they have really given me everything. Dunfermline could be a really good club, a really influential club in Scotland - it is the biggest club in Fife and could be a big club in Scotland if we can maintain our SPL status. That will be difficult because we are in a difficult situation. But we will enjoy tonight first and foremost. I am just delighted to get the win."

Stephen Kenny who dedicated the victory to the younger sister of Jim Leishman who had died suddenly earlier in the day, claimed that he still had a lot to learn as a manager:-

"I have learned a considerable amount in the months I have been here, as a manager and as a coach. I am still probably the youngest coach in the league so I still have a lot to learn. One thing as a coach you have to understand is that football is about players ultimately and you have to understand that if you want to be successful.

"The players were tremendous, missing Scott Wilson - a real leader for us - the two lads who are out (cup tied) Tam McManus and Stephen Glass were great for us last week. Stephen Simmons, Jim Hamilton and Stephen Crawford injured so there were a lot of players out and we plucked Darren Young out of nowhere tonight and gave him a start. He had to go against Scott Brown, probably the most mobile midfielder in Northern Europe. He had to go and match him. He last 70 minutes and did a great job."

Gary Mason's 52nd minute yellow card puts the player who has played in both the Pars recent finals, out of the next one. The Manager expressed his disappointment with that implication:-

"That was a harsh booking but I understand why I was booked. It was right in front of the Hibs crowd and they reacted. They were up on their feet, there was no malice in the tackle. Gary had to sort the situation because he was playing in an advanced position against Beuzellin and when Darren went off he had to go against Scott Brown in the holding area.

"We were trying to win the game, we had thrown on Owen Morrison and Mark Burchill and said 'let's go for it'. Gary probably realised that the final was out of his grasp, he knew that. It reminds you of a higher profile player had a similar situation a few years ago."

The Pars had their scrapes with Greg Shields and Jamie McCunnie clearing off the line. The Manager conceded that he believed his side were not the better team:-

"You have to be realistic about these things. Hibs changed it tactically - Benji played much deeper than he would ever normally play. That caused us problems because the first few minutes they pinned us right back because Darren Young ended up dropping off to pick him up instead of one of the defenders. Our shape was very distorted but we sorted it out and came to grips really at the start of the second half.

"Hibs have tremendous players, they are fluid and cause you problems where other teams don't and we just managed to hang in there. McCunnie was in the right place at the right time, he read it well. Shields' clearance off the line was absolutely sensational; he had a similar block in the first game so he is starting to come good."

Stephen Kenny was taken aback by the way Jim McIntyre had put away the penalty:-

"I didn't really know what he was going to do. As you know, Jim has had a really traumatic season - he had a career threatening injury. He had an operation on his neck that he was advised against having but to prolong his career he took a risk. He scored in one of his comeback matches in the Fife Cup; he did that against Raith Rovers. He did that because it was the Fife Cup, I didn't expect him to do that in the Scottish Cup at Hampden in the semi final."

Everyone looks at Stephen Kenny's phenomenal cup record in Ireland and Europe with Derry City and now at Dunfermline. He quietly let that question slip choosing to comment:-

"I am just delighted to get through, it sets us up for only our second final in nearly forty years and qualify for Europe. Not to go through the motions in Europe but to make an impact, we must have ambitions that might set our pre season date back earlier in order to prepare for Europe properly."

SPL status is now vital since Kenny needs to hangs on to his best players if his European ambitions can have any hope of achievement:-

"We know we are in a difficult situation four points adrift and probably have to get a result next Monday. In many ways it is a bigger game for us than tonight. Maybe they are both equally as big, I would say."

The small attendance with 8536 fans had not detracted from the pleasure of winning through to the final against Celtic on 26th May. Stephen Kenny had sympathy for the supporters:-

"You can understand the expense of all the travelling. I was speaking to families who have so many kids at schools and the difficulty getting to Glasgow in traffic after work. All these things were factors but we had a very vocal support and we had a very vocal support last week. Hopefully it is the start of an era. We can galvanise the support by bringing in exciting players like your Hammills and O'Brirens, players like that supporters identify with. More people come out and there is a real correlation between the supporters and the players. That's how clubs emerge and they thrive and that's how crowds excite you."