He has demonstrated just why the Old Firm can’t afford to take wins for granted in the SPL title run-in, but Dundee United defender Sean Dillon is still expecting a tough time at Celtic Park.
Player speculationThe carrot dangling in front of United is the possibility of European football next season. If they finish in fourth spot, they would need a Rangers championship win and a Scottish Cup success for Celtic for that door to open.
They also still have an outside chance of catching Hearts, although the Jam Tarts can all but secure third place should they win today against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
“We still have a chance of European football and if it turns out that way then that would be great for the club,” said Dillon.
“I wouldn’t care how we do it as long as we do it.
“There is even a slim chance of third and it’s good to have things like that still open to us at this stage because it is not ideal to be going into the post-split games with nothing to play for.
“If you think back to the time before we cleared the backlog of games, a lot of people would not have expected us to be where we are now, sitting in fourth with an outside chance of catching Hearts.
Dillon’s boss Peter Houston admits he has been impressed by Lennon’s first season in management.
“Neil has done very well,” he said. “They had a wee sticky spell at one stage and everyone looked to see how they would react.
“But Neil brought them together and has been picking up great results.
“They have a big squad to choose from but sometimes that makes things more difficult for a manager.
“You have to choose your best team and then there’s the added thing of keeping everyone happy.
“Neil has been able to do that, he’s getting the best out of the players, so we know exactly how difficult it’s going to be on Sunday.”
United look certain to lose top trio Craig Conway, Prince Buaben and Morgaro Gomis at the end of the season but Houston insists, if they do go, they will leave with his blessing.
“We have seen the speculation about the players,” he added. “The boys who are leaving will go with our best wishes.
“They have been fantastic players for Dundee United and if they go somewhere else to pick up three or four times the money they are on here I will be delighted for them.
“I cannot praise these lads highly enough. They have been a pleasure to work with.
“Coming to Dundee United has been great for their careers and they have been good for the club.”
Houston has a full squad to choose from with the exception of long-term injury victim Darren Dods.
Celtic midfielder Freddie Ljungberg misses the match due to a calf strain, while midfielder Joe Ledley will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, and defender Cha Du-ri (ankle) remains sidelined.
The Tangerines grabbed a dramatic 1-1 draw when Dillon equalised in the dying seconds of the match at the home of the Hoops back on November 20.
And United upset the odds again when they went to Ibrox at the start of this month and beat Rangers with yet another last-gasp goal, this time from in-form striker David Goodwillie.
They will undoubtedly be shown a great deal of respect by Neil Lennon and his players but Dillon is also aware of the magnitude of the task that faces him and his colleagues tomorrow.
“I guess my goal and the win over Rangers showed the Old Firm can’t take anything for granted and I am sure they won’t,” said Dillon.
“On our last two visits to Glasgow, we have drawn at Celtic Park and won at Ibrox so that’s pretty decent.
“You don’t get many positive results against the Old Firm in a season, though, so it will be really difficult for us to get something at their place again.
“It is going to be tough but the lads are in good form and did really well on Saturday against Kilmarnock.
“We are enjoying our football just now and, although we have had one or two bad results, overall we have done well in recent weeks and months.
“We will need to be at our best on Sunday and hope that we get a bit of luck as well.
“You need a break to get a good result at Parkhead and we will just have to see how it all turns out.
“The Celtic punters can get frustrated if the opposition keeps it tight for a while, but they have also been in a position where they have seen their team win championships and cups. They have seen it all before many times.
“So I don’t see us getting anything other than a really tough game.”