Dunfermline likely – Neil Lennon will bring a remarkably young Dunfermline squad into the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park, with an average age under 25 and players including Andrew Tod and Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen tipped to lead the charge against Celtic.
The draw of Hampden Park is obvious. The pressure is too. But for Dunfermline, the real story begins long before kickoff, in the make-up of the team Neil Lennon might choose to put in front of Celtic.
This group is built on youth. ambition and the kind of momentum that turns exhausted runs into something close to belief. Dunfermline’s progress under Lennon has been all the more remarkable for coming with players whose best years feel ahead of them rather than behind. If Lennon goes with his likely selection. the average age of the XI will be under 25. with striker Andrew Tod and defender Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen singled out as the starting points.
Inexperience can breed inconsistency, but Dunfermline’s season has defied that idea. They made a serious promotion push and then kept that level of edge through the Scottish Cup, knocking out three Premiership sides along the way.
Hampden will be a huge ask. After an exhausting play-off schedule, lifting the trophy is a different kind of task entirely. Still. these over-achieving players arrive with the confidence that they can go one better—especially if Lennon picks the team that has the balance of structure and swing he’ll need against Celtic.
ASTON OXBOROUGH
A goalkeeper with a sudden kind of impact. Aston Oxborough joined Dunfermline on loan from Motherwell in February and solved the club’s on-going goalkeeping issues quickly enough that he was badly missed when his parent club recalled him.
That absence was felt in last week’s Premiership play-off semi-final against Partick Thistle. Oxborough’s return to availability has Lennon’s attention, and he’ll be delighted to have him free to play at Hampden, where Oxborough was the hero of Dunfermline’s semi-final win over Falkirk.
JEREMIAH CHILOKOA-MULLEN
If Chilokoa-Mullen is in his final Dunfermline game, Hampden could be the kind of stage he was made for. There’s been speculation around whether this will be his last appearance for the Championship club.
He was outstanding in their quarter-final victory against Aberdeen—so much so that Aberdeen are among a number of clubs watching with interest as his contract expires. Reared in the academy system at Leeds and Liverpool. Chilokoa-Mullen has improved steadily since moving to East End Park 15 months ago.
The Scotland Under-21 international is a modern, ball-playing centre-half who leads by example, a tone-setter Lennon will trust when Celtic ask questions early.
NURUDEEN ABDULAI
Abdulai’s role could be even more important than the position he starts in suggests. The 6ft 2in Ghanaian centre-half is described as more than just a defender—an all-rounder who reads the game well, passes the ball efficiently and gets about the pitch.
If Lennon is tempted to use the 21-year-old in midfield ballast against Celtic, it would be a risky move. Shifting him could significantly diminish Dunfermline’s backline. With Daizen Maeda scampering in behind. Abdulai’s pace and agility could end up being the difference between coping and being exposed.
KIERAN NGWENYA
If Lennon goes with three central defenders. Ngwenya would be the player tasked with shoring up the left side. The Glasgow-born. Edinburgh-raised Malawi international started his senior career with Aberdeen but struggled to establish himself in Dunfermline’s team during this season’s early stretch.
Then he took his chance in December, and after that he has not looked back. The 23-year-old is quick, composed and out of contract in the summer, a status that has already drawn interest from clubs north and south of the Border.
MATTY TODD
Todd’s rise has been one of the season’s defining undercurrents at East End Park. Lennon didn’t fancy him in the early weeks of the season and told him so, but the 24-year-old has since knuckled down and become an important player.
A product of the Fife Elite Football Academy, Todd joined Dunfermline in 2019 and established himself as a box-to-box midfielder. This season, though, his work has mostly been on the right, and he produced some outstanding performances during Dunfermline’s promotion push.
CHARLIE GILMOUR
Gilmour is central to how Dunfermline control the emotional temperature of matches. The Brighton-born midfielder is the players’ player of the year, described as a selfless, unflappable presence in front of the defence.
He is strong in the tackle with a range of passing, and the way he has spent much of his career in Scotland makes him familiar with the kind of physical demands Celtic will bring. He also grew up with Arsenal and played for them in the Europa League.
For a side expected to be dominated in midfield by Celtic, Gilmour’s job is to keep Dunfermline organised in the area where they can least afford to drift.
ALFONS AMADE
Amade brings energy and maturity to the middle, building a strong partnership with Gilmour. At 26, the German-born midfielder has developed that pairing into something Lennon can lean on when games tighten.
His season dipped either side of the African Cup of Nations, where he played three times for Mozambique, but he has been a key figure in the closing weeks of the season—exactly when the margin starts to feel smallest.
ROBBIE FRASER
Fraser’s inclusion is tied to the kind of payoff Dunfermline have been rewarding all season. The former Rangers player left Ibrox, earned his way into regular football in the Championship, and made a permanent move to Dunfermline last summer after a spell on loan at Livingston.
He quickly became a fixture at wing-back, then was named supporters’ player of the year. At 23, Fraser offers balance, energy down the left and a delivery that can catch defences by surprise—sometimes with an early ball that changes the rhythm of an attack.
CALLUM MORRISON
Morrison could be the one to watch if Lennon decides to reshape the front line. He is mentioned as a possible “fall guy” in the event Lennon sacrifices one of his first-choice front three for an extra midfielder.
The 26-year-old former Hearts and Falkirk winger didn’t perform well in the semi-final against Falkirk. with his end product coming under scrutiny. Even so. he works hard and runs with the ball. and in that channel down the right he could be a valuable outlet for Dunfermline when the pressure mounts at Hampden.
CHRIS KANEA
Kanea’s value is often underestimated, and Dunfermline will be leaning on the traits that keep teams standing when opponents step up. He is a hard-working, selfless striker whose worth is described as frequently underplayed.
Even if he isn’t the most technically gifted, Kanea wins fouls, gains territory and provides welcome relief against superior opponents. He has scored 12 goals this season, and the fact he struggled with injuries early in the campaign makes that return all the sharper.
At 31, Kanea also won a cup double with St Johnstone and clearly knows his way around Hampden.
ANDREW TOD
The final piece of the picture is Tod’s breakout season. He has already scored 16 goals for Dunfermline and is just 20 years old, but the focus isn’t only numbers.
He has an eye for goal and understands the subtler nuances of his trade, and he is equally productive in deeper positions as well. Even so, momentum has slipped a little in recent weeks, partly due to injuries and the vicissitudes that come with youth.
Still, he is more than capable of coming up with a magical moment on the big stage.
With a team under 25 on average and players who have already shown they can knock out Premiership opposition. Dunfermline arrive at Hampden with a familiar blend: the discipline to survive and the threat to make Celtic uncomfortable. Whether it’s enough to write a new chapter in Scottish Cup history will depend on details—especially whether Lennon’s balance holds when the noise rises and the spotlight turns mean.
Dunfermline Neil Lennon Celtic Scottish Cup final Hampden Park Andrew Tod Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen Aston Oxborough Chris Kanea Matty Todd Charlie Gilmour