EVER since Neil Lennon returned to the club as manager back in February, every day he has walked through the front door, the League Cup has been in the building adorned with green and white ribbons.

The Irishman walked through the doors of Celtic Park again this Monday afternoon and the trophy was still there with the colours hanging from the handles that so many Celtic legends have held before.

There was a difference this time, though, as Neil Lennon could once more hold the trophy, but this time as a winning manager.

The trophy was the one domestic honour that has eluded him in his managerial career, and that was lain to rest on Sunday as his Celtic side showed how to battle adversity when they lifted the trophy for the fourth year running thanks to a 1-0 win over Rangers.

Looking back at the Hampden showdown in which the Celts won an incredible 10th successive trophy, the manager said: “It’s a big monkey off my back. It’s been annoying me and eating away at me for a while, so now I've got all the trophies as a manager and as a player, so from a personal point of view, it was a very proud moment.

“What these players are doing is just incredible. That’s seven cup finals in a row, so on the back of that, there’s the semi-finals, and we have to remember that every team playing against them along the way wants to beat them - they are desperate to get to the final, they are desperate to win a trophy, and our players keep coming up with answers.

“I am so proud to be associated with it as it’s an incredible run of silverware and our fans, who were amazing at the game, should enjoy it because we may never see the like of this again.

“I thought the atmosphere was magnificent and our fans were absolutely amazing, they stayed with the team the whole way, and the intensity and the energy they generated was brilliant. They keep coming and they keep following us in their thousands week in, week out and I'm so happy that they went home happy as well.”

There’s no doubt, though, that the Hoops were under the cosh for much of the game at a rain-soaked National Stadium, but they showed that relentless desire to win once more.

The manager added: “I don’t want to dwell on the performance because I'm not here to talk negatively about the players. They are human beings, and they’re not going to play magnificently well every time they step out there under different circumstances and different pressures.

“For the last two or three months they have played football of the highest calibre, and maybe they didn’t reach those heights yesterday, but they still came up with the win.

“There were aspects of the game that they showed another side to – their resilience and discipline, mental resolve which a lot of other teams don’t have.

“I’ve never seen a run like it. It’s incredible when you think of all the semi-finals and finals they’ve played – whether that be Rangers, Aberdeen, Motherwell or Hearts – they’ve overcame the lot and that’s absolutely fantastic.”

10th successive trophy is a welcome first for Neil Lennon