Celtic stand on the brink of a remarkable achievement, not just by Scottish football standards but by the standards of any footballing nation in the world. If they beat Aberdeen on Saturday they will have remained unbeaten in all three domestic competitions for an entire season.
To do that though is to travel to a venue that has been often ground zero for Hoops disappointment at the end of long hard seasons. From defeats to Kilmarnock to heartaches against Rangers, it’s not the most well thought of places within the Celtic support.
It hasn’t really been until this season that fans have actually felt confident about travelling to the national stadium. Brendan Rodgers has brought in an assured swagger to the club and that’s found its way into supporters who, like their team, feel invincible.
However, danger lies in that complacency and on the eve of their potential treble it’s time to take a look back at some darker times at Hampden to see what kind of traps the Hoops must not fall into against Aberdeen.
After all, lows only make the highs feel higher.
Here are FOUR Hampden reminders that serve as a warning for the Hoops and their fans tomorrow…
Refereeing errors…
Celtic have had their fair share of referee blunders over the years but when they come at Hampden with trophies and success on the line, they sting even more. Perhaps the most obvious recent controversy that cost the Hoops dear at the national stadium was against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the 2015 Scottish Cup Semi-Final.
Ahead in the match, Celtic could have had the chance to put the game beyond doubt at before half-time had the officials made the correct call.
Leigh Griffiths had met the ball with an accurate header that seemed destined to make it 2-0 but Josh Meekings handled it, which was inexplicably not noticed by either the referee or his additional assistant behind the goal line.
Ultimately Celtic still should have seen the game out from that point on but a Craig Gordon red card put them up against it and Inverness ran out winners against the 10-men in extra time to deny Ronny Deila’s side the treble.
It is an incident that serves as reminder that the Hoops need to also run the gauntlet of a poor standard of refereeing in Scotland against the Dons on Saturday.
Penalty nightmares…
While Celtic may have won the vast majority of their matches in domestic competitions this season, they have also drawn four. If they aren’t playing quite to the best of their abilities then there’s every chance that Aberdeen could pull them into a battle that ends in stalemate and ultimately penalties.
That scenario would call to mind a recent semi-final against Mark Warburton’s Rangers last season which went all the way to the wire at Hampden. With the scorelines 2-2 after extra time, the Hoops faced a nail biting derby shoot out and were on the wrong end of it, the Gers picking up an unlikely underdog win.
Most of the team that played that day will also feature against Aberdeen and they’ll know better than anyone that penalties make potential trebles and unbeaten records a lottery. The game simply has to be won in normal time to prevent any unnecessary drama.
Last minute anguish…
Celtic are a club famous for last minute winners and dramatic comebacks, especially in the Scottish Cup, but in 2012 they were on the receiving end of heartache thanks to… well, Hearts. The Jam Tarts beat the Hoops on their way to a famous Edinburgh derby cup win thanks to a last minute Craig Beattie strike, a former Celtic player who enjoyed getting one over on his old club with a now infamous topless celebration.
It’s one of the toughest defeats fans have suffered at Hampden in recent memory as they had equalised just minutes prior to salvage a draw and bring the match into extra-time.
On Saturday against Aberdeen, the Hoops can’t let the game drift into that witching hour of cup football where form and apparent gulfs in quality go out the window to be replaced by the fate and bad fortune of the Scottish Cup at Hampden.
If the scores are level going into the last 10 minutes then all the matches that Celtic have won this season will mean nothing out on that pitch.
Simply a poor performance…
Even when Celtic are heavy favourites, there’s no traditional cup drama, there’s no poor refereeing decisions and there’s no penalty heartache, the Hoops are still capable of dreadful performances at the national stadium.
One of the most infamous in the modern era came against Ross County in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup in 2010 when the Highlanders massively upset the odds, likely longer odds than this Saturday’s final, to beat Neil Lennon’s side 2-0.
It was one of the worst results in Celtic history, County were not even a top-flight side at the time, and embarrassed Lennon who had not even taken on a permanent role as Hoops boss.
The lesson to be learned with this one is that despite their wonderful season, nothing can be taken for granted in Saturday’s final – Celtic will have to be at their best. If they aren’t then a repeat of days like against County are not out of the question.
