Given 'prayed to God' Bonner wouldn't get injured

BBC News

14-06-2025

Cast your mind back to the 1990s.Rangers are dominating the Scottish game and Pat Bonner is the Celtic goalkeeper.A fresh-faced 17-year-old Shay Given is on the Celtic bench "praying to God" the Ireland international didn't pull up injured and force his debut. He was "a nervous wreck".He needn't fear long, though, Bonner carried on and Given was never thrown in the deep end.In fact, he never did make that Celtic debut. But he's done alright since.The former Newcastle United great was back in Glasgow promoting next month's friendly between the two sides, and his trip back north brought back memories and that 'what if' feeling."Driving up the road there past Barrowfield, I remember we had to change here at the stadium, and I had to run down the road as an apprentice and train," he said at Celtic Park."The first team boys were driving past, blowing the horn and stuff. It's just all the memories come flooding back."I was on the bench once for an Old Firm game when I was 17, praying to God that Pat Bonner wasn't going to get injured because I was going to have to come off the bench at 17. I would have been a nervous wreck, if I'm being brutally honest."The club's changed so much since I was here at 16 until 18. Even the stadium, look around the stadium now, it's just phenomenal."I was here when the old jungle was there across from the dugout. The way the club has moved forward and moved on, it's a phenomenal club now. It's a totally different animal, as such, but it's great to see how the club has progressed."I always brings back a special feeling coming back here."