Celtic v Aberdeen

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CELTIC v ABERDEEN / WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH CUP SEMI-FINAL 

Scottish FA 

Hampden Park 

Glasgow 

G42 9AY 

0141 616 6000 

Scottish FA Online: 

e. info@scottishfa.co.uk 

w. www.scottishfa.co.uk 

Twitter. @ScotlandNT 

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scotlandnationalteam 

OFFICE BEARERS: 

President 

Rod Petrie 

Chief executive 

Ian Maxwell 

Vice-president 

Mike Mulraney 

IN THIS ISSUE... 

Programme produced on 

behalf of the Scottish FA by 

Ignition Sports Media 

www.ignitionsportsmedia.com 

Production: David Middleton 

Photography: 

SNS Pix, PA Images 

Commissioning Editor: 

Ronnie Esplin 

Managing Editor: 

Ross MacDonald-Allan 

Please note that the views 

expressed in this programme 

do not necessarily reflect those 

of the Scottish FA. 

The Scottish Football Association 

Limited is a private company 

limited by guarantee, registered 

in Scotland, with its registered 

office at Hampden Park, 

Glasgow G42 9AY and company 

number SC005453. 

05 FOUR-FEAT 

Celtic are aiming to complete 

an unprecedented winning run 

in Scottish football’s oldest 

competition 

12 LAST TIME WE MET 

The sides are gearing up 

for their second consecutive 

Sunday clash 

15 HUNGRY AS EVER 

One of Celtic’s key men on their 

trophy run says they are even 

more determined to extend their 

record 

21 HOME FROM HOME 

Aberdeen’s longest-serving 

player has freshly-secured 

happy memories from Hampden 

28 CELTIC - 

ROUTE TO THE SEMI-FINAL 

Here is a reminder of Celtic’s 

pre-lockdown William Hill 

Scottish Cup exploits 

30 ABERDEEN - 

ROUTE TO THE SEMI-FINAL 

The Dons’ journey to the 2020 

semi-final 

32 LET THE FUN BEGIN 

Craig Gordon is delighted to see 

the return of popular children’s 

football sessions 

34 TONIGHT’S SQUADS 

HAMPDEN PARK / SUNDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2020 3

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FOUR-FEAT 

Celtic are aiming to complete an 

unprecedented winning run in 

Scottish football’s oldest competition 

By Matthew Lindsay, The Herald 



C 

eltic’s attempt to triumph in the delayed 2019/20 

William Hill Scottish Cup has the promise of yet 

more history-making for the Parkhead club. 

Neil Lennon’s men will 

become the first in the 

147-year existence of 

the competition to lift the 

trophy on four successive 

occasions should they 

prevail. 

No fewer than five sides 

have recorded hat-tricks of 

victories since the cup was 

formed in 1873; Queen’s 

Park (1874-1876 and 

1880-1882), Vale of Leven 

(1877-1879), Rangers 

(1934-1936, 1948-1950 

and 1962-1964), Aberdeen 

(1982-1984) and Celtic 

(2017-2019). 

The epic achievements that 

Scott Brown and his fellow 

players have racked up in 

the past four years suggest 

the enormity of what they 

can accomplish won’t be in 

the slightest bit intimidating 

for them. 

They are currently on an 

unprecedented 34-game 

winning streak in the 

League Cup and Scottish 

Cup - the last time they 

were beaten in a one-off 

domestic tie was in the 

penalty shoot-out defeat 

to their Glasgow rivals 

Rangers in the semi-final of 

the latter way back in 2016. 

There is another unique 

quadrilateral that lies 

tantalisingly within Celtic’s 

grasp as well; they will 

complete their fourth 

straight domestic treble if 

they are successful. 

Lennon is confident that, 

despite the unusual 

circumstances that last 

season’s Scottish Cup 

will be concluded in the 

following campaign 

with the focus of so 

many being on 10-In-A- 

6 

HAMPDEN PARK / SUNDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2020


PEOPLE HAVE 

SORT OF 

BYPASSED 

IT. BUT THE 

CHANCE OF A 

12th TROPHY 

IN A ROW? 

IT’S PROBABLY 

SOMETHING 

WE’LL NEVER 

SEE AGAIN 

“” 



Row, his charges won’t 

allow themselves to be 

sidetracked. He knows they 

will be determined to finish 

off what they started 15 

months ago. 

“It would mean an awful 

lot to the players to achieve 

another treble,” he said. 

“The players will be highly 

motivated to achieve that. 

When you do it once it’s 

amazing. When you do it 

three times it’s incredible. To 

do it a fourth time... 

“People have sort of 

bypassed it. But the 

chance of a 12th trophy 

in a row? It’s probably 

something we’ll never 

see again. That’s why 

these players should be 

lauded. Their consistency is 

fantastic. But we know it’s 

a really difficult tie against 

Aberdeen. it’s going to be a 

tough ask.” 

Celtic have faced Aberdeen 

twice in the Scottish Cup 

during their current run. 

They edged a classic final 

in 2017 thanks to a lastminute 

Tom Rogic goal and 

ran out comfortable 3-0 

victors in the semi-final 

last year. When the game 

kicks off they will rightly be 

favourites. 

In Kristoffer Ajer, Scott 

Brown, Leigh Griffiths, 

Callum McGregor, Olivier 

Ntcham and Rogic they 

have individuals who 

have grown accustomed 

to finishing off the season 

on a high, by climbing 

the steps at Hampden to 

receive winners’ medals. 

Their opponents’ recent 

record in the competition 

is far less impressive. 

Indeed, it is now 30 long 



I THINK IT IS 

A GAME WE 

CAN WIN. IT IS 

A FANTASTIC 

OPPORTUNITY 

“” 

10 



years since Aberdeen last 

got their hands on the 

silverware. It would, though, 

be foolish to dismiss their 

prospects because of those 

decades of failure. 

The 3-3 draw that Derek 

McInnes’s side recorded 

courtesy of an injury-time 

Lewis Ferguson penalty in 

the Premiership at Pittodrie 

last Sunday was a reminder 

that on their day they are a 

match for any team. 

McInnes has a potent blend 

of youth and experience 

at his disposal. Ryan 

Edmondson, Ferguson and 

Ross McCrorie all have 

promising careers in front 

of them, while Andrew 

Considine, Jonny Hayes, 

Joe Lewis, Niall McGinn and 

Ash Taylor are no strangers 

to big games. 

In the seven-and-a-half 

years that McInnes has 

been in charge of Aberdeen 

they have, despite only 

winning the League Cup 

in 2014, been to four cup 

finals and nine semi-finals. 

They will certainly not 

suffer stagefright or take 

to the field harbouring an 

inferiority complex. 

“We will be really looking 

forward to the game when 

it comes around,” he said. 

“I felt it was a game we 

could win prior to last 

Sunday’s match and I 

believe that even more so 

now. There was enough 

in the performance to be 

encouraged by and I will 

have a few more options 

for this weekend. I think it is 

a game we can win. It is a 

fantastic opportunity.” 

Aberdeen certainly have 

a few players who can 

capitalise on opportunities 

in front of goal. But the 

return of Sam Cosgrove, 

who made his first 

appearance of the season 

when he came on as a 

second-half substitute 

seven days ago, is a timely 

boost for them. The 6ft 2in 

striker plundered 23 goals 

last season and 21 the 

previous term. 

“He is an important 

figure for us, an imposing 

figure, and he carries a 

threat,” said McInnes. 

“His team-mates will be 

encouraged by the sight 

of Sam coming back into 

full fitness. He is looking as 

powerful as ever.” 

Much will hinge on 

whether Odsonne 

Edouard, who tested 

positive for Coronavirus 

on international duty with 

the France Under-21 side 

last month, is deemed fit 

enough to feature up front 

for Celtic. Albian Ajeti or 

Leigh Griffiths, who scored 

a stunning strike last 

Sunday, will be more than 

adequate replacements if 

he isn’t. 

However, the £9million 

man, who claimed a double 

last year as his side came 

from behind to beat Hearts 

2-1 and round off the treble 

treble, provides physicality, 

invention and a cutting 

edge in the final third. 

Celtic are more formidable 

adversaries with him in the 

starting line-up. 

The absence of supporters 

from the National Stadium 

due to Covid-19 restrictions 

is a real shame. But the 

William Hill Scottish Cup 

semi-final between Celtic 

and Aberdeen promises 

to be fascinating and fullblooded. 



LAST TIME WE MET 

The sides are gearing up for their second 

consecutive Sunday clash. 

Neither club need look too 

far back to the last time they 

met, although living up to 

last weekend’s 3-3 draw at 

Pittodrie might take some 

doing today in their William 

Hill Scottish Cup semi-final. 

A thrilling Premiership 

encounter in the Granite City 

produced six goals, three 

penalties and a last-gasp 

equaliser and, ultimately, left 

today’s protagonists with a 

point apiece. 

Celtic had the better of 

the first-half without troubling 

Dons ‘keeper Joe Lewis too 

much, but it was Aberdeen 

who took a lead into the 

interval when midfielder 

Lewis Ferguson slotted in 

a penalty two minutes 

before the break after being 

brought down in the box by 

Olivier Ntcham. 

An expected Celtic surge in 

the second-half saw stand-in 

skipper Callum McGregor 

level in the 52nd minute, after 

working a one-two with 

fellow midfielder Tom Rogic. 

But the home side restored 

their lead through attacker 

Ryan Hedges when he 

bundled in from close range. 

Back came the champions 

and substitute Leigh Griffiths 

curled in an equaliser in 

the 75th minute and, when 

midfielder Ryan Christie put 

Celtic ahead with a penalty 

two minutes later, it looked 

like Neil Lennon’s side would 

return to Glasgow with all 

three points. 

However, in added time, 

referee Willie Collum pointed 

to the spot again when 

McGregor tripped Aberdeen 

substitute Connor McLennan 

inside the box, with Ferguson 

beating stand-in Celtic 

‘keeper Scott Bain from 12 

yards for the second time. 

After losing out to Celtic in the 

latter stages of matches on 

several occasions in recent 

years, McInnes was glad to 

see his side take something 

from the game. 

He said: “We found ourselves 

behind in the dying embers of 

the game but if we hadn’t got 

something from that game 

it would have been an 

absolute travesty. 

“We were so good in the 

second-half for long spells. 

We have had late winners 

against us on a couple of 

12 



occasions, not just here 

but at Celtic Park as well 

against Celtic. 

“You get a few pats on the 

back and plaudits for your 

efforts and putting up a good 

show and all that sort of 

nonsense, and I couldn’t have 

been doing with that today. 

“We needed to get 

something from that game 

and I was glad we got 

something from the game, no 

more than we deserved.” 

After previous defeats to 

Rangers and AC Milan, 

Hoops boss Lennon spoke 

about a “fragility” within his 

side that he hopes will not 

resurface today. 

He said: “I was disappointed 

not to come away with all 

three points. When you score 

three goals away from home, 

you think you are going to win 

the game. 

“I think there is a little bit of 

fragility with a few of them, 

not playing with a major 

amount of confidence, but 

again plenty of positives. 

“The response second-half 

was tremendous but we need 

to tidy up defensively. That’s 

eight goals in three games, 

it’s not good enough. 

“In the main I was satisfied, 

particularly with the secondhalf 

performance, but 

defensively we need to do a 

lot better.” 

The Northern Irishman 

remained confident that there 

will be improvement from 

his side, who are looking to 

take another step towards 

a record-breaking fourth 

successive Scottish Cup Final 

win with a victory today 

against Aberdeen. 

He said: “We will galvanise 

ourselves and keep doing the 

right things and we will turn 

it around. There is still a long 

way to go. The players had 

a tough week and we could 

have played better. 

“We will improve, there 

is no question of that. I’m 

confident of that and we will 

get players back from Covid 

and injuries. So there is a long 

way to go. 

“Defensively we are making 

too many individual mistakes 

and collective mistakes. But 

there was a lot of positives to 

come from the game.” 


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HUNGRY 

AS EVER 

One of Celtic’s key men on their trophy 

run says they are even more determined 

to extend their record 

By Tony Connelly, Celtic View 



ampden has held nothing but happy memories 

for Celtic in recent years and Callum McGregor 

Hbelieves their determination to continue their run of 

cup success has grown with each victory. 

The midfielder is confident 

the philosophy which has 

underpinned that success 

will help Celtic overcome 

Aberdeen and book their 

place in the final. 

Celtic arrive in the familiar 

surroundings of Hampden 

this afternoon carrying with 

them a 34-game winning 

streak in domestic cup 

competitions. They have 

won the last three Scottish 

Cups and now have their 

eyes set on becoming 

the first club to ever win 

the trophy for a fourth 

consecutive time. 

For McGregor, the means 

of achieving such a feat is 

embedded within the squad 

and he is confident Celtic 

have the winning formula. 

“We have a philosophy in 

place that, whatever the 

competition is, we want to 

win,” said the 27-year-old. 

“Over time you’ve seen 

that and to go 34 games 

unbeaten tells you how 

relentless the mind set of 

the players is. 

“You could win two or 

three trophies and then 

take your foot off the gas 

but with the mentality this 

group of players have, 

they’re so hungry for 

success and that’s shown 

in how good a run we’ve 

been on. The longer that 

goes on, the more proud of 

it you are and the more you 

want to protect it. 

“The psychological effect of 

these games play a big part 

16 



“OVER TIME 

YOU’VE SEEN THAT 

AND TO GO 34 

GAMES UNBEATEN 

TELLS YOU HOW 

RELENTLESS THE 

MIND SET OF THE 

PLAYERS IS” 

as well. When you have 

these good memories and 

medals from winning these 

competitions you feel good 

when they come around. 

It helps give you a positive 

mentality going into the 

game. 

“A lot of sport is down 

to mentality and being 

positive. When you have 

that sort of mind set you 

can go and achieve great 

things. It’s something the 

group have been really 

good at over the past few 

seasons. We have to take 

those positive experiences 

and go into it in a positive 

frame of mind. 

“It’s a case of preparing 

the same way, having that 

same mentality in place and 

tuning up. You sometimes 

need to carry a little bit of 

luck as well, which we did 

in the St Johnstone game in 

the quarter-final.” 

Throughout Celtic’s 

unbeaten run at Hampden 

their fans have been an 

ever-present 12th man, 

backing the players with 

fervent support. The 

atmosphere will be sorely 

missed today, however 

McGregor and many of his 

team-mates will not be 

thrown by the void of noise, 

having already gained 

experience of playing in an 

empty Hampden. 

“With the big games that 

we normally play, you get 

to the stadium and start 

to feel the anticipation in 

the air a little bit and that’s 

not there just now with 



the absence of fans,” said 

McGregor. “Being a cup 

semi-final, everyone knows 

the stakes are high and that 

helps sharpen your focus a 

little bit. 

“The Scotland game 

against Israel was a semifinal 

as well so the situation 

is fresh in a lot of the boys’ 

minds and there will be a 

sense of familiarity to the 

situation. Even without the 

crowd, the fact that it’s a 

semi-final heightens your 

awareness and focus. 

“Ultimately, we have this 

cup run to defend and 

when a cup game comes 

around you’re reminded 

of the fact you’ve been so 

good in cup competitions. 

All the boys will want to 

defend that. If we win the 

game, it puts us in another 

final. You just have to keep 

that mind set that, even 

though the fans aren’t in 

the stadium, everyone 

is watching from home 

and you have to give a 

performance suitable as 

if they were there in the 

stadium with us.” 

McGregor has been a key 

figure in Celtic’s trophy haul 

over the last few seasons 

and has scored five goals in 

the Scottish Cup throughout 

his career so far. He scored 

in both the 2016-17 and 

2017-18 semi-final wins 

against Rangers and 

bagged the opener in the 

2-0 win over Motherwell in 

the 2018 final. 

The Celtic midfielder 

says his efforts to help the 

team have underpinned 

the contributions he has 

made in the hoops in the 

Scottish Cup. 

18 



“When you score goals and 

help the team get into finals 

and win competitions, it’s 

obviously a good feeling,” 

he said. “To help the team 

is the best feeling and you 

try to channel that positive 

energy and positive mind 

set into the game. 

“These are the games 

that we all try to make 

our mark in, whether it be 

with a good performance 

or nicking a goal or assist. 

These are the fixtures you 

want to be influencing. The 

record for us is there to 

defend and I’m sure when 

the game comes around 

everyone will be fully 

focused and prepared to 

do that.” 

Celtic have been familiar 

tormentors for Aberdeen 

in recent years. Derek 

McInnes’ side have lost 

all four of their Hampden 

meetings against Celtic in 

domestic cup competition 

in recent years, the most 

recent of which was a 3-0 

loss at this stage in the 

competition during the 

2018-19 season. 

Aberdeen’s most recent 

meeting with Celtic will 

give them confidence that 

they can prevent history 

from repeating itself. The 

Dons twice led Celtic at 

Pittodrie last weekend but 

were forced to settle for a 

3-3 draw. McGregor is well 

aware how determined 

Aberdeen will be to finally 

get the better of Celtic at 

Hampden, but insisted the 

champions’ winning desire 

would not be surpassed. 

“We’ve had quite a few 

semi-finals and finals 

against them over the 

years,” he said. “In every 

one of the games that 

we’ve come up against 

them they’ve been even 

more desperate to win, 

so we have a feel for the 

fixture and the players 

know what it takes to win 

these type of games. 

“They’ll be highly motivated 

and we have to look 

at it and be equally as 

motivated to try and put 

ourselves in another final. 

“Aberdeen have recruited 

well again and they’ll be 

difficult to beat. The game 

at the weekend was the 

first time we played them 

this season and it gave us 

an idea of their strengths 

and weaknesses and how 

they might want to play in 

the semi-final.” 


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HOME 

FROM 

HOME 

Aberdeen’s longest-serving player 

has freshly-secured happy memories 

from Hampden 

By Mal Panton, AFC Media 



t might be pushing things a little to call Hampden 

Park Andrew Considine’s second home, given he has 

Igraced the national stadium 15 times compared with 

something like 270 games at Pittodrie. 

But given the way the 

defender conducted himself 

so comfortably here last 

month in winning his first 

two caps for Scotland, 

we can at least say he is 

settling in very nicely, 

thank you. 

It is rare that any new 

Scottish cap is greeted with 

the warmth of reception 

from right across the game 

that Considine received, 

but that underlines the level 

of respect that fans and 

players have for all the hard 

work and dedication he 

has shown to the game, 

and to Aberdeen, across 

18 seasons. 

And having got the hang of 

winning at Hampden, it’s a 

habit he wants to take into 

this afternoon’s semi-final. 

“I have been there a 

good few occasions over 

the years with Aberdeen 

and we have come home 

empty-handed a number 

of times,” the 33-yearold 

said. 

“I have experienced 

everything in those games 

and there have been more 

lows than highs, there is no 

hiding that. Some severe 

lows too. But there have 

been some good times as 

well, none more so than 

recently when I went there 

and played with Scotland. 

“That horrendous loss in 

2008 to Queen of the South 

in the semi-final, which was 

my first trip to the national 

stadium, that was a real 

rollercoaster. I scored two 

goals as we lost 3-2, so 

22 



“I WOULD SAY THAT 

WE ARE A REALLY 

TIGHT GROUP AND 

WE HAVE STARTED 

THE SEASON WELL, 

BUT YOU WANT 

SOMETHING TO 

SHOW FOR IT” 

even within some of the 

games there has been a 

real swing in fortunes for 

me and the team. 

“Experiencing those lows 

makes you appreciate the 

good times more. It has 

helped me to develop a 

thick skin too, and you 

need that to be involved in 

football. All these turbulent 

times are worth it when 

you have good moments, 

such as when I got the call 

to say I was in the Scotland 

squad. That was a fantastic 

week or so, being involved 

in two important games 

and two wins. 

“The main thing is that 

Aberdeen as a club are still 

getting to Hampden, we 

are still getting to semifinals 

and hopefully we will 

get to more finals. You go 

there to win trophies and 

hopefully we can do that 

this season.” 

As an Aberdeen native 

and a one-club man with 

530 games behind him, 

Considine understands 

as well as anyone just 

how important lifting the 

Scottish Cup would be to 

both club and city. 

“The way everyone in 

the area came together 

before the 2017 final was 

incredible,” he said. “You 

still see stickers from before 

that game dotted about the 

city and the shire. There 

is one in Banchory in the 

High Street with a picture 

of me on it and every time 

we drive past the shop my 

youngest points to it and 

says: ‘There is you Daddy, 

playing golf!’ I’m not quite 

sure why he thinks that! 

“There was a real buzz 

leading up to that final 

and it’s one game that I 

still have sleepless nights 

about. We were so close, 

so very close to winning. 

But we will have another 

chance this weekend to get 

to another final. Hopefully 

we can right the wrongs of 

three years ago.” 

Over a long career at 

Pittodrie, Considine has 

previously picked out the 

sides of 2007-08 and 

2016-17 as the best he has 

played in. So how does the 

class of 2020 compare? 

“It’s still early days, but I’d 

say the strength and depth 

of the squad is up there 

with anything I’ve been part 

of before,” he said. “We 

have a lot of experience 

and a lot of younger boys 

who are now stepping 

up and doing really well. 

There’s a good mixture, a 

really good balance. 

“We also have players 

with a strong mentality. 

We have guys who have 

been there and know what 

is required in these types 

of games. I would say that 

we are a really tight group 

and we have started the 

season well, but you want 

something to show for it, 

you want to come away 

with some silverware. We 

are strong defensively as a 

team and have a real threat 

going forward. Hopefully 

we can take that into the 

semi-final.” 

Considine certainly has 

plenty of experience of big 

games. Today will be his 

46th Scottish Cup tie, his 

14th domestic semi-final, 



his seventh in the Scottish 

Cup. On top of that, he’s 

faced Celtic many times in 

these cup ties. 

“I feel we are due a win 

over Celtic,” he said. “We 

have played them on a 

good number of occasions 

in semi-finals and finals in 

recent years and have not 

been able to beat them. 

We’ve been there too many 

times to have nothing to 

show for it. Celtic have 

been a very good side 

during that period and we 

know it is going to be hard 

again, but we must have 

the belief that this can be 

our year. 

“Games against Celtic, 

you know that they will 

have a lot of possession, 

so it is about picking your 

moments to counter-attack. 

You know you are only 

going to have three or four 

opportunities, maybe just 

half chances, but you have 

got to take them. 

“I’ve had some good 

days against Celtic in the 

Scottish Cup. Going back 

to 2008, we were winning 

1-0 at Pittodrie into the 

last minute before they 

equalised which was a 

sickener, but we went down 

to Glasgow for the replay 

and came through with 

Darren Mackie’s goal. That’s 

a long time ago, I don’t 

remember the details of 

that one so well now! 

I do remember I was 

playing alongside big 

Zander Diamond then. Like 

now, that Celtic side was 

very strong, they had some 

great players, so that was a 

big win for us. 

“I remember going and 

winning 2-1 there in the 

cup seven days after we’d 

beaten St Johnstone 4-0 

at Tynecastle to get to 

the League Cup Final in 

2014. They started well, 

Stokes scored early on, but 

we came back into it and 

Russell Anderson got us 

level before half-time. Peter 

Pawlett got a goal just after 

the break and we held on 

and won that one too - that 

was some week!” 

It seems a very long time 

ago now, but Considine 

made a vital contribution 

back in February to keep 

Aberdeen in this extended 

Scottish Cup competition. 

In the fifth-round replay 

at Rugby Park, he was 

heavily involved in the 

final minutes of normal 

time, and then in extra- 

24 



play football, for exciting 

games like that, it was 

great to be a part of. 

“The fans were massive 

for us that night, down at 

Kilmarnock in midweek, and 

it’s sad they won’t be able 

to enjoy the day with us at 

Hampden. When Hampden 

is full, you do notice it 

because the place is loud. 

time, to help Aberdeen to 

an incredible 4-3 victory 

in a game they had twice 

seemed to have lost. 

“There was a lot of pressure 

on us that night,” he said. 

“We knew before that 

game it was a must-win. 

Right to the final whistle, 

the guys were incredible. 

When it was 3-2 to them, 

there were only five or 

six minutes to go and 

you just think, ‘What are 

the chances?’ But the 

boys never gave up and I 

managed to equalise. 

“Then deep into extra-time 

I got a brilliant connection 

on a cross and kept it low. 

The defender tried to clear 

it and it went in off his 

knee and you could see the 

reaction of the fans and the 

boys. We were just dead 

on our feet. That’s why you 

“But once the game 

starts you just have to 

concentrate on doing your 

job and you don’t notice 

what is going on and you 

don’t have time to take 

it in. Of course, when a 

challenge goes in and the 

crowd gets up, you miss 

that but once the referee 

blows his whistle you are 

just concentrating on doing 

your job. That’s what we 

have to do from the first 

whistle to the last if we 

want to reach the final.” 



THE ROAD TO HAMPDEN 

Celtic are looking to win the William Hill Scottish Cup for the 

fourth successive time, a feat that has never been achieved. 

They are also looking to clinch an unprecedented fourth consecutive treble in unique 

circumstances, with the tournament extended into the following campaign. 

Here is a reminder of Celtic’s pre-lockdown cup exploits. 

PARTICK THISTLE 1-2 CELTIC 

Leigh Griffiths scored his first goal in more than five 

months to help the holders begin the defence of their 

trophy on 18 January. 

Griffiths, who had battled 

with injury problems and 

personal issues, returned 

to the starting line-up 

for the first time since a 

Europa League match in 

Cluj the previous 

December, and it took him 

only 12 minutes to get 

back into the swing of 

things with a goal. 

Veteran Jags striker 

Kenny Miller, formerly of 

Celtic and Rangers, had 

a couple of chances to 

level for the home side, 

but Celtic were largely 

in control and midfielder 

Callum McGregor made it 

2-0 with a drive with 12 

minutes remaining. 

Referee Alan Muir 

awarded a penalty to 

Thistle in added-time 

when Celtic defender 

Jeremie Frimpong was 

judged to have fouled 

substitute Dario Zanatta 

as he was set to put the 

ball into an empty net, 

and Stuart Bannigan 

scored with the spot-kick 

as a consolation. 

Afterwards, Celtic boss 

Neil Lennon said: “Leigh 

has been looking sharp 

and played well and 

scored a striker’s goal. He 

is a great player, a great 

scorer. He has had fitness 

issues and other issues. 

“He had a good (training) 

week in Dubai and looked 

sharp in training this week 

so I know what I have 

got with him and there is 

more to come from him, 

obviously. We don’t score 

many goals like that and 

he does.” 

28 



CLYDE 0-3 CELTIC 

There was some trepidation when Celtic were drawn 

away to Clyde in the fifth round. 

The Parkhead outfit 

famously lost in the 

tournament to the Bully 

Wee at the same venue 

in 2006, but this time 

the weather was Celtic’s 

biggest problem at 

Broadwood. 

Lennon utilised his squad 

to take on League One 

Clyde with a first start 

for Polish striker Patryk 

Klimala. Scott Bain 

returned in goal, with 

Mohamed Elyounoussi, 

Moritz Bauer, Boli Bolingoli 

and Ryan Christie back in 

the side and new signing 

Ismaila Soro on the bench. 

Star players such as 

Fraser Forster, McGregor 

and Odsonne Edouard 

were rested but, amid 

the wild conditions 

created by Storm 

Ciara, French midfielder 

Olivier Ntcham shot the 

Parkhead side ahead in 

the 16th minute. Skipper 

Scott Brown added 

a second from close 

range five minutes 

before the interval, 

with substitute Vakoun 

Bayo netting a third in the 

last minute. 

Assistant boss John 

Kennedy was on postmatch 

media duties and 

claimed the ease in which 

Celtic came through the 

challenge demonstrated 

the strength of the Hoops 

squad. 

The former Celtic defender 

said: “We were looking 

back at Partick Thistle 

in the League Cup at 

home and made eight 

changes and won 5-0. We 

made six changes today 

and again we put on a 

convincing performance. 

“But that’s what it’s all 

about. We need to utilise 

the squad. We have a 

strong squad and plenty 

of players who train hard 

every day and wait for 

an opportunity and 

games like that provide 

that opportunity. It was 

a good balance and a 

professional performance.” 

ST JOHNSTONE 0-1 CELTIC 

Celtic were pushed all the way as 

they sealed a 34th consecutive 

domestic cup victory on 1 March. 

The Hoops went into the match 

having been dumped out of the 

Europa League by FC Copenhagen 

days earlier and they scraped 

through thanks to an 81st-minute goal 

at a blustery McDiarmid Park. 

Christie curled in a free-kick which 

appeared to go straight through and 

into Zander Clark’s net, although 

defender Christopher Jullien also 

claimed the goal. 

Lennon said: “That’s 34 undefeated 

and that’s amazing. It can go at any 

time so they want to keep it running as 

long as they can and they are coming 

up against all sorts of opposition and 

they’re dealing with it. 

“They’ve faced some difficult 

opposition - and today was difficult, 

mentally and physically, after 

Thursday.” 



THE ROAD TO HAMPDEN 

Aberdeen have the difficult task of trying to end Celtic’s 

quest to win the William Hill Scottish Cup for the fourth 

successive time in today’s semi-final at Hampden Park. 

Derek McInnes’ side have fared well away from Pittodrie in the tournament 

so far and have enjoyed a handy trait of scoring late goals. Here is a reminder 

of their route to the last four. 

ABERDEEN 1-0 DUMBARTON 

The Dandy Dons began the competition on 18 January 

and left it late to get the win against Jim Duffy’s side, 

despite dominating the match. 

Sam Cosgrove’s 86thminute 

penalty, which he 

had won when he tempted 

Morgyn Neill into a rash 

challenge, eventually saw 

them through. 

Aberdeen had 27 shots 

during the 90 minutes 

and, perhaps unsurprisingly, 

boss McInnes called for a 

better goal return. 

He said: “I’m bemoaning 

and cursing the fact we 

passed up so many chances. 

At set-plays, every one 

of my bigger lads had 

opportunities - Cosgrove, 

(Andrew) Considine, (Scott) 

McKenna, (Ash) Taylor. 

They’ve got to be better than 

that. It’s a part of the game 

that’s very important and 

these boys have to take the 

responsibility to score more 

goals when the delivery is 

as good as it was from Niall 

McGinn today. 

“If you take your chances 

then Dumbarton have to 

come out of their shape 

to get something from the 

game, but the longer it’s 0-0 

the more they think they’re 

in the game. 

“Nobody could deny that 

we deserved to win the 

game. It felt like the type of 

performance that maybe 

merited more goals, but 

you have to score them, 

and we’re still searching for 

penetration and quality. It’s 

something we need to work 

on going forward.” 

ABERDEEN 0-0 KILMARNOCK 

McInnes’ side were still struggling 

in front of goal when they hosted 

Kilmarnock on 8 February in the 

fifth round. 

Aberdeen had failed to find their 

shooting boots after the win over 

the Sons and the supporters 

let them know about it. Indeed, 

Aberdeen had scored just once 

since the winter break. 

The Granite City boss expressed 

his anger and frustration after 

his side’s goalless run extended 

to a fifth straight game in all 

competitions. 

He said: “The wind made 

conditions difficult for both sides, 

at times farcical in the second-half, 

but I’m angry and embarrassed at 

not scoring for the fifth game in a 

row. Clearly that’s where we need 

to get better. 

“If you don’t score in five games 

you deserve stick, and my players 

need to take more responsibility to 

answer the critics.” 

30 



KILMARNOCK 3-4 ABERDEEN 

There were goals galore, however, in the Rugby 

Park replay on 19 February. 

Mohamed El Makrini’s 

spectacular first-half 

overhead kick for Killie 

was cancelled out by 

Considine with two 

minutes remaining, before 

the extra-time goal rush. 

Matty Kennedy put 

Aberdeen ahead in the 

92nd minute but Eamonn 

Brophy levelled for the 

hosts with a stunning 

free-kick. With just three 

minutes remaining Nicke 

Kabamba put Killie 3-2 up 

but that was immediately 

cancelled out by a 

Cosgrove penalty. 

And in stoppage time 

of extra-time, the 

unfortunate Connor 

Johnson scored an own 

goal from a Considine 

cross to seal the win for 

Aberdeen. 

McInnes hailed the 

character of his players 

afterwards. 

He said: “Obviously I’ve 

got pride in the players’ 

tenacity to keep going. 

They never gave it up. 

“There are different 

ways to win a match. You 

can do it tactically, which 

we didn’t do tonight, you 

can do it through big 

moments individually, or 

you can just do it with 

sheer guts and tenacity 

and a refusal other than 

to make the game go our 

way. It’s almost as though 

we’ve lit a fire under our 

season now.” 

ST MIRREN 0-2 ABERDEEN 

Aberdeen set up their ninth semi-final 

in seven seasons under McInnes with 

a Saturday-night win in Paisley on 29 

February. 

Lewis Ferguson opened the scoring 

with a drive with the outside of his 

boot in the seventh minute, before 

substitute Cosgrove’s stoppage-time 

penalty capped the win and left 

McInnes pleased. 

He said: “Fergie’s goal was brilliant, 

real quality. I have been chipping away 

at him, he needs to do more of that. 

“We started the game excellently. St 

Mirren were the better side towards 

half-time. They had a lot of possession 

but didn’t hurt us. 

“We defended well second-half but 

I was screaming to get ourselves 

up the pitch. Maybe the players felt 

subconsciously that 1-0 was enough 

but I wanted to get more of a focal 

point, which is why I brought big Sam 

on. With Sam applying pressure to 

centre-backs, we get our rewards with 

a penalty.’’ 



LET THE FUN BEGIN 

Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is delighted to see the return 

of popular children’s football sessions. 

Craig Gordon has no 

hesitation in describing 

the return of McDonald’s 

Fun Football sessions as 

“absolutely vital” to the 

physical and mental wellbeing 

of kids. 

The Covid-19 crisis has had 

a material effect on football 

at all levels of the game 

and all over the world, but 

McDonald’s will provide 

access and encouragement 

to the budding stars of 

tomorrow and those who 

simply enjoy playing. 

The Hearts and 

Scotland ‘keeper, along 

with former Scotland 

women’s star Julie Fleeting, 

attended the National 

Performance Centre at 

Oriam recently to relaunch 

the company’s Fun Football 

sessions in Scotland. 

The sessions are 

designed to give free, 

safe and fun physical 

activity to thousands of 

children across the 

country, regardless of 

ability or gender. 

McDonald’s is committed 

to its target of giving more 

than 500,000 children 

the opportunity to play 

football for the first time 

and providing more than 

five million hours of free 

football to five-11-yearolds 

by 2020 through 

its partnership with the 

Scottish FA. 

32 



And no one should be 

surprised. McDonald’s 

has worked with the 

Scottish FA and the other 

home nations football 

associations for the last 

18 years, making them the 

longest-standing provider 

of grassroots football in 

the UK. 

Gordon is a huge fan of the 

initiative and the former 

Celtic and Sunderland 

number one, capped 54 

times for his country and 

still looking for more, is 

delighted to see them back. 

He said: “It is fantastic that 

McDonald’s are putting 

these sessions on. 

“The kids have suffered 

quite a lot in recent months, 

having to stay inside. So 

to get them back out, get 

them interacting with each 

other, enjoying football 

sessions, is really great for 

all the kids. Absolutely vital. 

“You see the smiles on 

the faces and see them 

enjoying themselves which 

is something they’ve not 

really been able to do an 

awful lot during lockdown. 

So it’s really great to have 

these activities back up 

and running.” 

The sessions were 

postponed as the UK 

went into lockdown earlier 

this year, but with new 

measures in place, the 

programme gives those 

families who have missed 

out on sport and peer-topeer 

interaction over the 

past five months a chance 

to safely enjoy football. 

Recent research from 

McDonald’s has shown that 

eight out of 10 parents want 

their children to engage 

in more sport activity but 

almost a third are unable to 

afford it, making these free 

sessions a great option for 

parents across the country 

to get their children back 

into activity. 

Gordon said: “I have 

my daughters at these 

sessions, they are free for 

everybody to come and 

join in. It is great to have 

the kids outside and just 

enjoying playing football 

again and it’s something 

that has been lacking over 

the last few months. Not 

really through anybody’s 

fault, but that’s just been 

what had to happen with 

the lockdown. 

“So to get them back 

out in a safe environment 

with everything looked after 

the way that they have 

here is brilliant.” 

McDonald’s Fun Football 

ambassador Julie Fleeting 

is equally as passionate 

about the project. 

She said: “These Fun 

Football sessions are 

an incredible way to get 

children back into football 

after the year we’ve had. 

“These are the type of 

sessions I wish we had 

when I was growing up and 

I would highly recommend 

them to anyone who is 

thinking about taking up or 

getting back into football.” 

Paul Pomroy, McDonald’s 

UK and Ireland chief 

executive officer, explained 

what was in store for the 

kids. 

He said: “This autumn we 

will run more than 800 free 

football sessions for five-to- 

11-year-olds to get them 

playing the beautiful game. 

“As a dad of two footballmad 

children desperate for 

activities during lockdown, 

I know how important it 

is for kids to get out and 

about, socialising and 

being active. 

“Through our Fun Football 

programme we are proudly 

providing five million hours 

of football for children and 

introducing more than half 

a million new players to the 

game by 2022.” 

Find your local free 

Fun Football Centre and 

sign up today at 

https://bit.ly/3kFUxfW 



CELTIC 

MANAGER: 

Neil Lennon 

1 Vasilis Barkas 

2 Christopher Jullien 

3 Greg Taylor 

4 Shane Duffy 

6 Nir Bitton 

8 Scott Brown 

9 Leigh Griffiths 

10 Albian Ajeti 

11 Patryk Klimala 

12 Ismaila Soro 

14 David Turnbull 

17 Ryan Christie 

18 Tom Rogic 

21 Olivier Ntcham 

22 Odsonne Edouard 

27 Mohamed Elyounoussi 

29 Scott Bain 

30 Jeremie Frimpong 

35 Kristoffer Ajer 

42 Callum McGregor 

65 Conor Hazard 

56 Anthony Ralston 

57 Stephen Welsh 

93 Diego Laxalt 

ABERDEEN 

MANAGER: 

Derek McInnes 

1 Joe Lewis 

2 Shay Logan 

3 Tommie Hoban 

4 Andrew Considine 

5 Greg Leigh 

6 Michael Devlin 

8 Funso Ojo 

9 Curtis Main 

10 Niall McGinn 

11 Ryan Hedges 

14 Ash Taylor 

15 Dylan McGeouch 

16 Sam Cosgrove 

17 Jonny Hayes 

19 Lewis Ferguson 

18 Connor McLennan 

20 Tomas Cerny 

22 Ronald Hernandez 

24 Dean Campbell 

25 Scott Wright 

32 Ryan Edmondson 

33 Matthew Kennedy 

40 Ross McCrorie 

43 Gary Woods 

50 Marley Watkins 

TODAY’S OFFICIALS 

Referee: Don Robertson 

Assistant referee 1: Douglas Ross 

Assistant referee 2: Daniel McFarlane 

4th official: David Munro 

AAR1: Kevin Clancy 

AAR2: Gavin Duncan 

34 


Safer Gambling 

Take control. 

Own your game. 

Gamble 

responsibly.

Celtic v Aberdeen

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