For Danny Lennon, success was a blend of knowledge and connections.

His expertise and network turned into a momentous achievement for St Mirren fans in 2013, etching a historic victory.

Lennon, who earned a spot in the club’s Hall of Fame four years later, remains a celebrated figure whenever he visits Paisley.

St Mirren’s unprecedented League Cup victory, highlighted by a thrilling 3-2 win over Hearts at Hampden on March 17, 2013, marked the climax of an extraordinary journey.

This triumph was nearly three years in the making, commencing when Lennon took over from Gus MacPherson in the summer of 2010.

As Stephen Robinson bids to emulate the feat when his St Mirren side face Celtic at Hampden on Sunday afternoon, Lennon has reflected on how he put together a squad which earned a special place in history.

Of the 11 players who started the final against Hearts, 10 were signed by Lennon while an 18-year-old John McGinn had been promoted to the first team squad on his watch.

Jim Goodwin’s recruitment and appointment as captain, the acquisition of former Scotland internationals Steven Thompson and Gary Teale, the loan captures of Newcastle United duo Paul Dummett and Conor Newton were all examples of a shrewd and imaginative recruitment strategy.

‘From the first season I was there onwards, there was a diminishing budget every year,’ says Lennon. ‘So we had to try and be clever with the players we brought in.

‘We managed to bring Steven and Gary, both in their 30s at the time, back from English football in the season before the cup win.

‘People maybe thought they were just winding down their careers with us but Gary produced the goods every week for me, while Steven was the best penalty box striker I’ve ever worked with.

‘Getting Jim in as captain was also very important. Hibs were really keen on him at the time but we managed to find a way to persuade him to come to us.

‘We also had to use the loan market well. I had a very good relationship with Alan Pardew, the Newcastle manager at the time, and that allowed us to get Paul and Conor.

‘Paul went on to have a really good career in the Premier League with Newcastle. Both he and Conor did really well for us.

‘I was actually surprised Conor didn’t go on to bigger and better things, given the ability he had, but that’s just the way football works out sometimes.

‘We also had our own talent coming through with the likes of John McGinn and Kenny McLean who both ended up in the cup final squad, although Kenny was an unused sub on the day. It was a group of players with good balance in terms of experience, energy and ability.’

McGinn, of course, has gone on to savour many special Hampden moments as a mainstay of the Scotland team and Tartan Army icon.

When Lennon opted to hand him his first appearance at the national stadium, when St Mirren were paired with Celtic in the semi-finals in January 2013, it was a call he made with confidence.

McGinn didn’t let him down as Saints stunned Neil Lennon’s Scottish champions with a fully deserved 3-2 victory. It was also the day that McGinn’s unique use of his now famed posterior to win a midfield battle first came to the fore.

‘It was a big decision to put John into that game where he was up against Victor Wanyama — we called it the Battle of the a****!’ says Lennon with a smile almost as broad as McGinn is in the beam.

‘Wanyama was a powerful player who was rightly getting a big reputation but John was more than up to the task.

‘In my whole managerial career, John was the only player I brought over from the academy who never went back to the academy.

‘Normally, you bring the young kids over to give them a taste of training with the first team and see how they handle the experience before sending them back to continue their development with the academy squad.

‘But John was different. I could see right away he had something special, both in terms of his ability and his attitude. He was fantastic that day against Celtic, as were the whole team.’

Lennon’s resourcefulness in enhancing his squad also saw him throw unheralded striker Esmael Goncalves into the fray that afternoon. The debutant struck St Mirren’s first goal against Celtic and would do the same in the final.

‘That was another case of using our contacts,’ says Lennon. ‘Austin MacPhee, who was on my coaching staff, knew Ian Cathro who was assistant manager at Rio Ave in Portugal at the time.

‘We got big Esmael over on loan less than a week before the Celtic game and he hit the ground running.’

The League Cup had already left an indelible but not wholly fulfilling mark on Lennon’s career. He was part of the Raith Rovers squad who went all the way in the competition in 1994-95 but missed out on the epic defeat of Celtic in the final due to injury.

‘That day will never be topped in Raith’s history,’ he adds. ‘They still milk it to this day with reunion events and celebrations and rightly so. It was so special.

‘So I knew what it would mean for my players if St Mirren could win it for the first time in the club’s history. That’s the way it has worked out, because all of us are always well received any time we do go back to St Mirren. I still get fans thanking me for that day.

‘It’s especially true in the case of those who were maybe too young to remember the Scottish Cup win of 1987. The 2013 League Cup is their special memory.

‘Those are the things that really touch you and I feel privileged to have played a part in it.’

The final didn’t initially go according to plan for Lennon. The early stages were dominated by a Hearts side in the first throes of the financial crisis caused by Vladimir Romanov’s ownership and who had recently appointed Gary Locke as manager.

Ryan Stevenson’s 10th minute goal put the Gorgie men ahead and they missed several chances to put the game to bed in the opening half hour.

‘For the first 25 minutes or so, our players played the occasion and not the game,’ says Lennon. ‘Hearts could have been out of sight.

‘But we managed only to concede one goal during that spell and then started to control the game. Big Esmael equalised just before half-time and the rest is history.

‘Hearts went in as favourites but I was quietly confident. We took the players up to St Andrews for a few days earlier in the week of the final. All the tactical preparations were done there.

‘We didn’t even stay in a hotel the night before the game. We just met up at the training ground in Ralston as usual, had breakfast and headed over to Hampden.

‘When we started to see the St Mirren fans with their colours on as we drove through Cathcart, that’s when it really started to kick in for me. I could sense the importance, what it meant to everyone.

‘When we won the game, it was like an explosion of joy for the entire community. I can remember looking into the crowd when Conor Newton made it 3-1, looking at the faces, young and old sharing that experience, and thinking this is what football is all about.

‘It’s a feeling that will live long in my memory. The open top bus ride back into Paisley with the trophy was also something very special.

‘It wasn’t just the hard core St Mirren fans who came out, it was the general population of Paisley. Everyone wanted to share the moment.’

Lennon would love to see Stephen Robinson join him in the pantheon of the club’s trophy-winning managers and empathises with the difficulties the Northern Irishman has faced in maintaining his team’s form since their 4-1 demolition of Motherwell in the semi-final at the start of November.

‘I can appreciate what Stephen has been going through,’ he says. ‘It’s difficult to keep players performing in the league games leading up to the final for a club like St Mirren.

‘I remember Neil Lennon congratulating me after the semi-final in 2013 and telling me that we’d beaten the best, now we had to go on and win the trophy. That stuck with me in the weeks before the final when our league performances weren’t always great.

‘Some of your players might never have the opportunity again in their career to play in an occasion like the final, so it is going to dominate their thoughts no matter how hard you try to get them to focus on the bread and butter of the league.

‘I went through that headache myself back in 2013. But Stephen will be happier with their last couple of results and performances.

‘They will go in as underdogs but that will suit Stephen and his players. I felt they played well in the recent league game against Celtic. They were the better side and it took a special goal from Callum McGregor at the end to beat them.

‘Celtic have had a really tough week with the games against Hearts last Sunday and then Roma, while Saints will be fresh going into the final.

‘I’d love to see Stephen end the day with that trophy in his hands. He has done a fantastic job at St Mirren with top six finishes and getting into Europe.

‘You get a feeling of destiny when you reach a final and I sense the spirit of 2013 is in the air for Saints. I really hope so.’