Dunfermline striker Jim McIntyre is relishing his third Tennent's Scottish Cup final after a 10-year wait that came complete with a cruel suspension and a career-threatening injury.

The striker's audacious chipped penalty winner over Hibernian set up the Fife club's clash with Celtic on Saturday a decade after he won the cup with Kilmarnock.

Two years ago, the then Dundee United forward scored another semi-final goal against Hibs but a harsh booking following a collision with goalkeeper Simon Brown saw him suspended for the final defeat by Celtic.

Denied the right to appeal against the yellow card, McIntyre thought his last chance to play in a prestige final had passed him by.

And earlier this season the 34-year-old feared a serious neck injury would prevent him playing again at any level.

But he is a certain starter on Saturday after helping spark Dunfermline's spirited but unsuccessful battle against relegation from the Bank of Scotland Premier League, following an operation to remove a disc from his neck.

He said: "When you go through such a hard time with an injury, you doubt whether you will play again.

"I had to go for serious surgery so days like Saturday are what football is all about.

"It's fantastic to get another chance, I never thought I would see it again so I'm just delighted to be part of it."

While McIntyre looks forward to another Hampden showpiece, four of his team-mates are facing the same pain of missing out as he experienced at Tannadice.

On-loan Hibernian midfielder Stephen Glass and former Falkirk striker Tam McManus are ineligible after being named as unused substitutes for their former clubs in earlier rounds.

Celtic loanee Jim O'Brien will not be allowed to face his employers while Gary Mason picked up a booking against Hibs and misses out through suspension.

And McIntyre does not expect to see them as the cup final build-up accelerates throughout the week.

"I think they will be doing their own thing this week," he said.

"The last thing they would want to be doing is hanging around the squad. It's hard enough missing the game."

McIntyre's first Scottish Cup final appearance came for Airdrie in their 1-0 loss to Celtic in 1995.

The former Reading player said: "I came on as a sub. I was just delighted to make the bench, because there were only two subs in those days and there were four of us fighting for two places.

"It's just great to be part of that because you are so young and you are just hoping you get on the pitch."

But he looks back much more fondly on the 1997 victory when Kilmarnock beat Falkirk 1-0 at Ibrox.

He said: "The next one we won so that was the best feeling that I have had in football. It was tremendous."