STEPHEN KENNY is determined to end Dunfermline's trophy drought this weekend, even if only to update the club's photograph album!
The East End Park side haven't lifted the Scottish Cup since 1968 and the only pictures of the celebrations that day are grainy, black and white images that hang on the walls inside the ground.
The club has only won the competition twice in its h
istory, the other victory coming in 1961, but Kenny and co have a chance to make it a hat-trick when they face Celtic at Hampden tomorrow.
The Pars are huge underdogs but Kenny is determined to bring the trophy back home for the generations of supporters who have yet to see their side lift silverware.
He said: "The last time Dunfermline won any kind of trophy, the photographs were in black and white! I mean, there is a whole generation of people living in Dunfermline and supporting Dunfermline who have never seen them lift a trophy of any kind.
"I think in the last 40 years, the club has only been in a couple of finals so it's a big occasion for everyone involved.
"We've had a very difficult run to the final, we've played Rangers, Hearts and Hibs as well as Partick Thistle so no-one can grudge us our place there.
"Celtic have only played one SPL club but they are going for the league and cup double and we know what they are capable of.
"It's going to be another epic game for us and we want to go there and give it our best shot, we certainly don't want to turn up at Hampden simply to be the supporting cast."
If anyone is capable of pulling off a cup shock against the SPL champions then Kenny certainly seems to have the credentials to engineer it.
The Irishman has had a talismanic effect on the teams he has managed so far, taking Longford Town into Europe for the first time in their history before moving onto Bohemians and winning them the title for only the second time in 25 years.
He followed that up by rescuing Derry City from potential relegation and the very next season the club finished as runners-up in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Cup in the process.
They went on to beat IFK Gothenburg 8-3 on aggregate before being paired with Scottish side Gretna, trouncing the Raydale Park side 5-1 in the first leg of their tie and rendering their home leg almost meaningless.
That result helped bring him to the attentions of Pars chairman John Yorkston, who appointed him manager and then watched him win his first game in charge, 2-1 against Dundee United. Despite a dramatic turnaround in fortunes under Kenny's charge though, Dunfermline were unable to escape relegation to the First Division this season and he's keen to make amends.
However he added: "Some people have asked if being relegated has made us more determined to win the cup, but I certainly don't think it has helped us any.
"The players don't need any extra motivation for this game, they want to go out and win the cup for themselves and for the club.
"A lot of people have maybe written us off but we want to go out and beat the odds to win this cup.
"There's no point in trying to ignore the fact that we were relegated, it has happened and now we have to get on with it.
"Relegation cast a huge cloud over the club but when you are knocked back like that as a club, it is important that you all rally around. We were playing good football and won six from seven games. We were 1-0 up at Inverness and in the ascendancy but then they scored a freak goal and it just wasn't to be.
"We're focused on the cup final now and we're also looking ahead to the new season and I'm determined to keep as strong a squad as possible for the First Division, hopefully a good result in the cup will help us do that."
If they are to win the cup, Dunfermline will have to do it without Gary Mason, who has played in all but three of their SPL matches this season and every single round of the cup.
Despite losing one of their most influential players, Kenny insists that there can be no room for excuses
"We're going to be without four or five of our players, Stephen Glass and Tam McManus because they're cup-tied, Jim O'Brien because Celtic don't want him to play and Gary Mason because he is suspended.
"We've got a few regrets that those boys aren't available for us but we're not going to make any excuses.
"I feel for Gary Mason because he has played in every round so far for us and has been a key player for us.
"He comes into training every day and works hard and he wears his heart on his sleeve. It's a shame for him that he can't play."
