| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Joseph Lennon [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 April 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Whitburn, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Airdrieonians (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1993 | Hibernian | 37 | (2) |
| 1993–1999 | Raith Rovers | 152 | (14) |
| 1999 | Ayr United | 7 | (1) |
| 1999 | Ross County | 7 | (0) |
| 1999–2003 | Partick Thistle | 98 | (12) |
| 2003–2005 | Gretna | 10 | (0) |
| 2006 | Workington | 0 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Cowdenbeath | 18 | (0) |
| Total | 330 | (29) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995–1998 | Northern Ireland B | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2008–2010 | Cowdenbeath | ||
| 2010–2014 | St Mirren | ||
| 2015 | Scotland U21 (caretaker) | ||
| 2015 | Alloa Athletic | ||
| 2016 | Airdrieonians (interim) | ||
| 2017–2022 | Clyde | ||
| 2025– | Airdrieonians | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Daniel Joseph Lennon (born 6 April 1969) is a Scottish football manager and former player, who currently manages Scottish Championship club Airdrieonians.
In his playing career, Lennon is best known for scoring a free kick for Raith Rovers against Bayern Munich during an UEFA Cup tie in 1995 and winning the Second Division and First Division as captain of Partick Thistle in 2001 and 2002.
It was at Raith, where he would also experience international football with Northern Ireland B.
Lennon began his managerial career with Cowdenbeath in June 2008. Having led the Blue Brazil to promotion from the Scottish Third Division to the First Division, he was appointed St Mirren manager in June 2010. He won the 2012–13 Scottish League Cup with the Buddies but his contract was not renewed in 2014. After a caretaker spell in charge of the Scotland under-21s, Lennon managed Alloa Athletic from April to December 2015.
Following a stint as acting head coach of Airdrieonians, Lennon was appointed Clyde manager in November 2017, where he remained for five years until October 2022. Under his management, Clyde secured promotion to Scottish League One in 2019.
In August 2025, Lennon returned to Airdrieonians for a second spell as manager.
Lennon began his career at Hibernian, before signing for Raith Rovers for £30,000 in 1993. At Raith, he was part of the squad that won the Scottish League Cup in 1994, but he missed the final due to injury. Raith qualified for the UEFA Cup thanks to winning the League Cup. Lennon scored in their tie against Bayern Munich, briefly giving Raith a 1–0 lead in the second leg in the Munich Olympic Stadium. [2] In 2023, Lennon was inducted into the Raith Rovers Hall of Fame. [3]
After leaving Raith in 1999 he played for Ayr United, Ross County, Partick Thistle, where he won two league titles, Gretna, Workington and Cowdenbeath.
On 18 November 2011, Lennon was inducted into the Partick Thistle Hall of Fame, receiving legendary status. [4]
Lennon briefly came out of retirement in 2019, 11 years after he last played, bringing himself on as a substitute for Clyde against Celtic colts in a Glasgow Cup match. [5]
During his time at Raith Rovers, Lennon won four caps for Northern Ireland B. [2] Lennon was eligible to play for Northern Ireland through his grandmother. [2]
Lennon was appointed as Cowdenbeath manager on 11 June 2008, replacing Brian Welsh. [6] Lennon managed the club to two successive promotions amid financial difficulties at the club. [7]
In his first season, Lennon led the Blue Brazil to second place in the 2008-09 Scottish Third Division only to lose the promotion play-off final to Stenhousemuir on penalties. [8] However, as a result of Livingston’s demotion, the club were promoted to the Scottish Second Division. [9]
After unexpectedly finding themselves in the third tier, Lennon guided the club to the Scottish First Division for the first time in 16 years with victory over Brechin City in the play-off final. [10]
Lennon was appointed manager of Scottish Premier League club St Mirren on 7 June 2010, signing a two-year contract to succeed Gus MacPherson. [11]
Lennon secured the first win of his tenure with a 1–0 win over Hibernian on 29 August 2010, courtesy of a goal from Craig Dargo. [12] The Buddies finished the 2010-11 season in 11th place, managing to avoid relegation.
Over the summer, Lennon decided to make wholesale changes across the club. Lennon's signings included Scottish internationals, Gary Teale from Sheffield Wednesday and Steven Thompson from Burnley while replacing long-term assistant manager Iain Jenkins with Tommy Craig. St Mirren started the season by beating local rivals Greenock Morton 4–2 in the Renfrewshire Cup final and Aberdeen in the first home game of the 2011-12 season. Lennon agreed a new contract with St Mirren in November 2011, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2014. [13]
The following season, Lennon led the Buddies to their first ever Scottish League Cup triumph in a 3–2 win over Heart of Midlothian. It was the club's first major silverware since winning the Scottish Cup in 1987, [14] and the fourth major honour in their history.
After the 2013–14 season was completed, St Mirren decided not to offer Lennon a new contract. [15] During his time in Paisley, the club achieved their highest league position in over 20 years, finishing eighth in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons.
In October 2017, Lennon was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame, cementing his status as a St Mirren legend. [16]
In February 2015, Lennon was appointed caretaker manager of the Scotland national under-21 football team. [17] He took charge of one friendly match, a 2–1 victory against Hungary. [18]
Lennon was appointed manager of Alloa Athletic in April 2015, succeeding Barry Smith. [19] He led the Wasps to success in the Scottish Championship play-off final which retained the club's status in the second tier at the end of the 2014–15 season. After gaining five points from their first 16 games of the 2015-16 season, Lennon resigned on 7 December 2015. [20]
In March 2016, Airdrieonians manager Eddie Wolecki Black suffered a stroke during a Scottish League One match against Cowdenbeath. [21] To allow Wolecki Black to recover, Lennon was appointed acting head coach on an interim basis until the end of the 2015–16 season. [22]
Lennon returned to management with Scottish League Two club Clyde on 13 November 2017, after the departure of Jim Chapman. [23] The Bully Wee's results improved in the first months of Lennon's tenure, with the club climbing from eighth position to finish the 2017-18 season in fifth place, three points behind the promotion play-offs.
On 7 May 2019, Lennon agreed terms to remain as Clyde manager for at least an additional two years, which was later extended to the end of the 2021–22 season. [24]
He led the Bully Wee to Scottish League One on 18 May 2019, after beating Annan Athletic 2–1 on aggregate to win the promotion play-off final, thus ending their nine-year exile in the bottom tier. [25] This saw Lennon receive the SPFL League Two Manager of the Season award. [26] In their first season back in the third tier, Clyde finished seventh in the 2019-20 season when it was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 8 April 2022, Lennon put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with the club, on a deal until May 2024. [27]
Despite, achieving Clyde’s best start to a league campaign in 11 years during the 2022-23 season, it was confirmed on 31 October that Lennon had departed the club after a nine-match winless run. The announcement came a week after he was placed on 'paid authorised absence'. [28] [29]
Having spent five years at the club, Lennon holds the distinction of Clyde’s longest-serving manager in over 30 years.
On 27 August 2025, three years after departing Clyde, Lennon returned to Airdrieonians, now in the Scottish Championship, as successor to Rhys McCabe. [30]
As of 12 September 2025
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Cowdenbeath | 11 June 2008 | 7 June 2010 | 91 | 41 | 26 | 24 | 45.05 |
| St Mirren | 7 June 2010 | 12 May 2014 | 180 | 50 | 56 | 74 | 27.78 |
| Scotland U21 (caretaker) | 18 February 2015 | 7 April 2015 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Alloa Athletic | 7 April 2015 | 7 December 2015 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 22.22 |
| Airdrieonians (interim) | 10 March 2016 | 30 April 2016 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 37.50 |
| Clyde | 13 November 2017 | 25 October 2022 | 199 | 79 | 33 | 87 | 39.70 |
| Airdrieonians | 27 August 2025 | present | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Total | 506 | 180 | 122 | 204 | 35.57 | ||
