You couldn’t make it up. But then, Scottish football tends to do a good line in things that you thought couldn’t be made up.

Neil Lennon’s first match in temporary charge of Celtic was against Hearts at Tynecastle, a place where he is about as popular as Chris Robinson.

This weekend, he’ll be on the other side of Auld Reekie when he goes back to Easter Road for a Scottish Cup quarter-final tussle with his former charges Hibernian. Those footballing gods are a mischievous old lot.

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The brisk manner of Brendan Rodgers’ departure from Parkhead may have had clouds forming over certain sections of the Celtic support but Lennon is eager to ensure that there is a silver lining with the completion of another triple whammy of domestic gongs.

One man hoping to hurl a spanner in those particular works, though, is Hibernian’s Marc McNulty.

The 26-year-old nabbed a brace on Wednesday night as Hibs battled to a 2-1 win over St Johnstone in Perth to give the new manager, Paul Heckingbottom, his third successive win.

McNulty, on loan from English Championship side Reading, was one of Lennon’s prime targets in the January transfer window before the well-documented shenanigans that led to the Northern Irishman’s time in Leith coming to a contentious end.

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McNulty did eventually complete his loan move to Edinburgh but by the time he arrived, Lennon was off.

Having scored six goals in his last four games, Lennon’s judgement of McNulty has proved to be spot on. The manager who originally wanted him may have gone but Hibs are

reaping the rewards.

“Neil obviously wanted me in but there were people working behind the scenes,” said McNulty.

“Hibs have a recruitment team who do a good job getting players in and I have said that in the last couple of windows these kind of people have been trying to get me in.

“For whatever reason it hasn’t happened but I have to thank them.

Neil left and they were the ones that kept at it so I am grateful for that.

“It’s great to hear that [Lennon talked highly of him], especially from someone like Neil. It would have been great to work under him but as I have said football is a funny game and things change very quickly.

“He’s at Celtic now. We play them at the weekend and we’re looking forward to it.”

And what about adding to his burgeoning tally against the man who was well aware of his prowess in front of the goal? “That would be nice, so fingers crossed that happens,” he added with a smile.

McNulty has come full circle.

A decade after being released by Hibernian as a teenager, the Edinburgh man is back banging in the goals as Hibs look to confirm their place in the top six of the Ladbrokes Premiership while rolling along on the road to Hampden.

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McNulty is enjoying the new lease of life a return to his home city has afforded him after a frustrating spell spent kicking his heels in the margins at Reading.

“I’ve scored a couple now so my confidence is high,” said the former Livingston, Sheffield United and Coventry City striker. “It’s just about enjoying football and the more games and goals you score, you take more confidence from it and look forward to the next game. That’s where I am at and I’m just grateful that the manager is playing me.

“It’s great, as a football player you just want to play football. That wasn’t the case for me in the first half of the season which was disappointing but that’s life, these things happen.

“For me it was a case of coming up here, getting the head down and enjoy playing football again.”

Hibs won the Scottish Cup in 2016, the first time that had happened since the dinosaurs roamed Leith Walk. Or something like that.

After ending their 114-year wait to lift the cherished old trophy again with that victory over Rangers, McNulty is hoping to play his part in another glory run.

“I watched that cup final with a few mates,” he recalled. “I was down the road in England, I was off and had come back up.

“A few mates are Hibs fans so we watched the game. Obviously Saturday is a massive game. It gives you the chance of a wee sniff of Hampden so we are looking forward to it.”