Neil Lennon needs no prompting on significance of Inverness cup tie

THE League Cup means career landmarks for Neil Lennon. The Celtic manager, who will lead his side into a first tie in the competition when Inverness Caledonian Thistle provide Co-operative Insurance quarter-final opposition at Celtic Park tonight, doesn't need prompted to relate that the tournament was the first he won as a Celtic player, in March 2001, and, six years on, the first trophy he lifted as Celtic captain.

Then there were the Leicester City days. Between 1997 and 2000, Martin O'Neill's side won the competition twice and were beaten finalists on another occasion. "It was fantastic, one of the highlights of my career to walk out at Wembley against Middlesbrough (in 1997] and then beat them in a replay at Hillsborough," Lennon said. "To go to Wembley with pretty much a provincial club and do it three times was quite a feat."

Lennon, though, knows that unfancied teams can have their days in cup scenarios. Only too well. The Irishman has been in charge for 18 games. He has won all 13 of the league encounters and but his teams have been papped out of the Scottish Cup in humiliating fashion by Ross County, made little impression in a Champions League qualifying defeat against Braga, and suffered an embarrassing Europa League exit at the hands of Utrecht. "I haven't had a great record in cup competitions so far," Lennon offered in masterfully understated fashion. "But it is a new season and a newish team."

Then there is the combustible mix of Inverness and cup ties where Celtic have been concerned. Even at Leicester he heard about Super Caley going ballistic and all that, courtesy of their famous 3-1 Scottish Cup win in February 2000. Then he experienced defeat in the competition at Inverness in March 2003.

"To concede three goals at home was probably what did for John Barnes (as Celtic manager]. I wasn't here like, but obviously the headline still gets brought up now and again."Lennon admitted the League Cup has "taken on a more prominent position than we thought" because his team do not have European football to contend with. Celtic's second confrontation with Terry Butcher's men in a matter of weeks - following the 1-0 win for Celtic in the Highlands on the opening day of the season - is one of their few midweek commitments of the winter but that won't make Lennon more reluctant to meddle with a, league-game winning side. Ki Sung-Yueng, Mark Wilson, returning-from-injury Niall McGinn, Marc Crosas and Gary Hooper will all come into contention. Paddy McCourt and Scott Brown, who both picked up injuries that forced them of during Sunday's 2-1 win at Kilmarnock, will not feature. Lennon said that McCourt's problem with his shoulder "popping out" led to a scan but he is hopeful results will show he will not be out for "too long".

Meanwhile, Brown's foot knock should not preclude him from featuring against Hibs at the weekend.