dailyloe.com – Celtic and St Mirren will meet at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Sunday for a Scottish Cup semi-final. The match kicks off at 14:00 BST. A final against Dunfermline Athletic is at stake. This is a rematch of a League Cup final from just over four months ago.
In that December final, St Mirren outplayed and outfought Celtic to win the Scottish League Cup. It was only the second time St Mirren had won that trophy. A second-minute header from Marcus Fraser and a second-half double from Jonah Ayunga secured the historic victory.
For Celtic, that defeat was part of a terrible start under then-manager Wilfried Nancy. It was his third defeat in his first three matches in charge. Nancy lasted just eight matches and 33 days before being dismissed. He was dismissed along with head of football operations Paul Tisdale.
His successor is his predecessor, Martin O’Neill. O’Neill took interim charge for the second time this season. Under O’Neill, Celtic have maintained a title challenge. He has also taken the team back to Hampden for this semi-final.
Performances under O’Neill have sometimes been lacking. Celtic’s squad is evidently flawed. One questionable display was the quarter-final that got them here. Celtic had just one shot in 120 minutes against Rangers at Ibrox.
That match was a drab goalless draw. Celtic triumphed 4-2 on penalties. Being the better side is secondary to winning for Celtic now. Few Celtic fans will criticise the style if the team wins league and cup in May.
However, O’Neill has made a notable comment about the cup. He has said his side are not good enough for him to think about lifting the trophy. That is hardly a rousing battle cry from the manager.
O’Neill first won the competition with Celtic as a player. The teams meet again in very different circumstances now. St Mirren have proof they can beat Celtic at Hampden. Celtic are looking for redemption from their previous Hampden disappointment.
