Captains will159 pay tribute to Lisbon Lions legend Auld

SHORTLY before kick-off at Parkhead this afternoon the respective skippers of Celtic and Aberdeen will carry wreaths onto the pitch in tribute to the late Bertie Auld. For Callum McGregor, just months into his captaincy at Parkhead, the occasion will be at once solemn and a celebration of a man who achieved greatness in the east end of Glasgow.

It will also be a poignant moment for Scott Brown, who led Celtic for a decade before moving to Aberdeen in June to begin his transition into a coaching role.

Brown was already established as club captain at Celtic when McGregor broke through in 2014 and was the source of inspiration, advice and the odd rollicking as the younger player set about carving his own niche.

A member of the team that became European champions in 1967, Auld’s status as a Lisbon Lion guarantees him immortality in Celtic history. McGregor believes it’s fitting that Brown, another club great, will be there to share in the commemoration.

He said: ‘We want to show our appreciation for Bertie and what he did for the club. It will be a great tribute.

‘We will be trying to create a special atmosphere for him on Sunday and then we need to try and match that with the result.

‘We attended the funeral on Friday and it is a real emotional time for the club. One of our legends has passed away and the club has come up with a very fitting tribute, as it always does.

‘We also have Scott coming back to Celtic Park for the first time. It is certainly fitting to be able to honour Bertie with one of the other greats. It has all come together at a good time.’

Brown, 36, announced his departure for Aberdeen well in advance, giving his likely successor plenty of time to pick his brains on what the responsibilities of the captaincy would entail.

‘We were always talking,’ continued McGregor. ‘Scott was brilliant for me when I was coming through and over the last few years we got really close and he was always helping me so it wasn’t a case of sitting down and having that type of chat.

‘This will be a big occasion for him and it will be good to see him. At the same time, we have to look at the game itself because we need three points.

‘That means trying to take the emotion out of it as much as possible to focus on what we need to do.’

Although he no longer has Brown alongside him, McGregor is pleased that Ange Postecoglou added another leader to the dressingroom over the summer. McGregor is delighted to now have former England goalkeeper Joe Hart at his back.

Although Celtic would ultimately succumb to a 3-2 defeat away to Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday, Hart produced some top-class saves. Most notable was his denial of Moussa Diaby and his brave thwarting of Amine Adli with a last-ditch save on his goal-line.

‘Joe is massive for us and again made two huge saves for us in Germany,’ said McGregor. ‘Celtic have a history of having brilliant keepers, it is something which is pretty synonymous with the club.

‘If we mention (former Celtic keeper) Fraser Forster, I would say Joe is of a similar stature.

‘He is a good age and a good personality as well so it is great to see him doing so well here.’