Neil Lennon is emblematic of the Martin O'Neill era . . . a relic of different times at Celtic Park . . . signed for a now almost unbelievable £6 million from Leicester City after protracted negotiations in the early months of his mentor's reign. Since then, his travails both on and off the pitch in the Glasgow goldfish bowl have been well documented but, despite it all, the midfielder remained a constant in the heart of the side . . . an epitome of consistency, doing the simple things well but never extending himself to feats outwith his ability.

Now at 34 years old, it is a role he is still playing with distinction under a new manager and one whose initial reaction on being appointed last May was to not only extend Lennon's contract but also adorn him with the armband. It is one of several Strachan decisions that has come under scrutiny during a turbulent debut season, none more so than after his captain's dismissal following the final whistle of the first, and most combustible, Old Firm encounter of the campaign.

Ginger, that day, did indeed snap, barging into referee Stuart Dougal after being red-carded for abusive language and gesticulating wildly until he was restrained by his colleagues. A three-match ban, while considered a little lenient at the time, appears to have had the desired effect with a solitary yellow card in early December the only other sanction against him all season as the manager's faith in his captain has been repaid.

"After the Ibrox thing with Stuart Dougal he must have wondered what he'd let himself in for, " Lennon said, looking back on the early months of his captaincy. "But to his credit, he's stuck by me through it all and we've turned the corner. Everyone was pointing the finger, wanting me out and stripped of the captaincy but, to be fair to him, he's stuck to his decision and never wavered on that from day one and I will always be thankful to him for that.

"He actually came and spoke on my behalf at the SFA hearing, which he didn't have to do and it was a great gesture from him and all I wanted to do then was repay the faith he's shown in me and, fortunately enough, things have gone reasonably well in the past four or five months." Occasions like this afternoon must have seemed remote in the wake of the 50 defeat by Artmedia Bratislava in July. Strachan was put under immediate pressure from a shocked support still searching for succour after O'Neill's departure and the late loss of the league title the previous season. His new captain was initially fearful but, leading by example, soon adopted a more positive outlook.

"From my own personal position it was a case of 'what have I done?' and 'am I going to be remembered for this more than anything else?'.

But I felt like we could only go forward after that and after the second game when we beat them 4-0, there were signs it wasn't going to be as bad as everyone made out it was going to be. Slowly but surely, as the season's progressed, we've seen signs of us turning into a decent team.

"I was hoping that we could get some sort of showpiece to look forward to at the end of the season and obviously the most important thing is winning the piece of silverware.

As I said at the start of the season, it's good being the captain but you want to be a winning captain, so it's all to play for."

Talking to Lennon, you sense a determination to give his manager a first trophy in management as well as, perhaps, a latent desire to exorcise his harsh sending off in the dying stages against Rangers in his last league cup final three years ago. His admiration for Strachan becomes almost as clear as his perceptive thoughts on the role of an Old Firm manager. "If you manage Celtic or Rangers, it's a very intense arena, " he said. "You're living on your results not month to month but week to week and you're constantly in the public and there to be shot at but I think he's handled it really well and with a lot of dignity.

He told me from day one that myself and Stilian [Petrov] would be in the team regardless and, other than injury or a drastic loss of form, I'd be one of the first names on the team-sheet every week and he's stuck by that. He's had to make some tough calls this season, but he's come through them all."

In some ways, the events enveloping Celtic in the past week have make this afternoon's game a no-win situation for Strachan. A victory and all the coverage will focus on the trophy as a tribute to Jimmy Johnstone, while a loss would again lead to questions being asked of the manager's suitability.

For some of Celtic's foreign players, such as Shunsuke Nakamura, the reaction of not only the club's supporters but fans around the country to the Scot's sad passing after a battle with motor neurone disease has been an eye-opening experience. "To see that kind of feeling for someone who is not currently a player is amazing, " the Japanese midfielder said.

For Lennon, despite being more ingrained in the traditions of the club, the scenes of the past few weeks have reinforced to him the role that he and his teammates can play in the emotions of the support. "When a tragedy like this happens you realise there is a real feeling for the players, " he said. "I feel a lot more responsibility this year and, at times like this especially, you are a standard bearer for the club. You think people like Jimmy will never go away and will always be here and I think that adds significance to the game."

CIS CUP FINAL CELTIC v DUNFERMLINE Hampden Park, 3.00 Live, Setanta, 2.30