Dunfermline midfielder Darren Young felt a lack of match fitness may have cost his side towards the end of their late Tennent's Scottish Cup final defeat by Celtic.

The Pars were without four players who were influential in their spirited but unsuccessful battle against relegation from the Bank of Scotland Premier League.

Stephen Glass and Tam McManus were cup-tied, while Gary Mason was suspended and on-loan Celtic winger Jim O'Brien was not allowed to play against his employers.

Young may not have made the team himself had they all been available after he brushed off a knee injury late in the week soon after coming back from a torn calf muscle.

But the former Aberdeen midfielder was voted the Tennent's man of the match after a tigerish performance in midfield.

However, he felt himself and others were beginning to feel the effects of the Hampden encounter when Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe poked home an 85th-minute winner to decide a tight contest.

The 28-year-old said: "I felt a wee bit tired myself but you just get through it, the adrenalin kicks you on.

"But I think the gaffer had to make three or four changes and maybe if we had a bit more first-team football in the last few weeks we might have had a better chance.

"But again, if we scored that first goal you never know what happens."

The Pars competed well but a half chance that Mark Burchill dragged across goal in the opening minutes was the only time they cut Celtic apart.

And Young admitted they had not done enough to test Hoops keeper Artur Boruc.

He said: "I'm pretty gutted, it could have gone either way and I thought one goal was going to win it but bad luck for us that it wasn't us.

"We knew how long there was to go and you look up when the goal goes in and you think 'oh no, there's five minutes to go'.

"Obviously we were looking to win it in extra-time or steal a goal but it wasn't to be.

"We had a good first half and we did well, but football is about taking your chances and we think we know ourselves we never created enough to put them under that much pressure.

"But one wee mistake costs you and that's what happened."