Passionate, inspirational and intimidating on the touchline…  Dunfermline boss Neil Lennon is still box office

There was a moment midway through the first half at East End Park yesterday afternoon when you genuinely feared for the safety of Alfons Amade.

After sending a lazy pass astray to spark a Kelty Hearts counter on the halfway line, the Dunfermline midfielder was on the receiving end of a rather colourful tirade of words and furious hand gestures from manager Neil Lennon, who was going tonto on the touchline.

Amade’s point-blank refusal to make eye contact with the gaffer probably didn’t go down too well either.

Ten seconds later, the hopelessly one-sided exchange was done and dusted.

However, it lasted long enough to offer a reminder – if anyone was in any doubt – that Lennon remains box-office viewing.

Twenty-six years after first arriving in Scotland, his passion for the game hasn’t diminished in the slightest. Nor has his ability to inspire those around him.

Every ball is kicked, every decision contested. In the second half, he even had a pop at opposing manager Tam O’Ware, who stepped onto the pitch to control the ball before it had bounced out of play.

It was an entirely innocuous incident but, with his team desperately trying to break the deadlock in the Scottish Cup fifth-round tie, Lennon failed to see the funny side.

Having upset Hibernian in the previous round, going out against lower-league opposition in the last 16 would have been a disaster for Dunfermline. In that sense, Lennon’s tension was understandable.

He was in a far more relaxed mood at full-time thanks to Chris Kane’s late double in a 2-0 victory, which set up a quarter-final at home to either Aberdeen or Motherwell.

Lennon’s decision to bring the 2021 cup-winner off the bench made the difference against a depleted Kelty side who gave everything only to come up short.

The 54-year-old Northern Irishman has taken the Pars to within one win of an appearance at Hampden. You wouldn’t bet against him pulling it off.