Mark Wilson Faces Neil Lennon in Dunfermline Athletic Vs Partick Thistle

Mark Wilson goes into dunfermline athletic vs partick thistle at East End Park on Tuesday, 12 May with no nostalgia for the man in the opposing dugout. Partick Thistle’s manager is preparing to face Neil Lennon in the first leg of the Scottish Premiership play-off semi-final, a tie that sends one club a step closer to the Premiership and leaves the other needing to recover on Friday.

Wilson and Lennon at East End Park

The first leg kicks off at 19:45 BST in Dunfermline, with the return at Firhill on Friday. Both matches will be shown live on Scotland, and Wilson’s focus is on the job in front of him rather than the link that runs back to Celtic.

He said there will be “no nostalgia” when he meets Lennon, even though the two have spent years around each other in different roles. Wilson said, “I played some of my best football under Neil,” and added, “I enjoyed working with him.”

That relationship goes back to Lennon’s time as Wilson’s captain at Celtic, before he later coached him when he took over from Tony Mowbray. Wilson described him as “a really strong individual who demands the highest standards,” and said, “He’s done an incredible job with Dunfermline. Getting to a Scottish Cup final with a Championship club is no mean feat. That takes some doing.”

Partick Thistle’s route to Fife

The Championship record points to a tight tie, even if it is split by two venues. Partick Thistle took three wins and a draw from their four regular-season games against Dunfermline Athletic, a line that should sharpen both sides’ belief as the play-off begins.

Wilson has also had to rebuild Thistle from a stripped-back squad since his appointment. “When I was appointed, just to paint the picture clearly, we had no goalkeepers, we had no full-backs, we had no striker, we had a very bare midfield,” he said, a reminder of how quickly the team has been forced to change before reaching this stage.

Firhill on Friday

For Thistle, the immediate task is to turn that regular-season edge into something more durable over two legs. Wilson said the tie is not about former links or old roles, adding: “My job now is a coach, I’m his equal, I need to find a way to beat him and that’s what my full concentration is on.”

Friday’s second leg at Firhill will decide whether that rebuild keeps moving toward the Premiership or ends with another club taking the next step instead.