Larne left reeling after learning how long star striker will be out for following serious knee injury
The 30-year-old Scottish hitman suffered the setback in a recent behind-closed-doors friendly against Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Claudio Braga's confession after Hearts transfer as his Tynecastle teammates leave recruit certain of one thing
The forward made his debut in the Premier Sports Cup rout of Dunfermline Claudio Braga admits his first taste of Tynecastle sent his heart-rate soaring. Now the summer signing hopes the excitement surrounding the new era in Gorgie can see Hearts skyrocket too. The Portuguese forward was blown away by the atmosphere on his debut in Saturday's 4-1 Premier Sports Cup win over Dunfermline that saw the Derek McInnes reign get off to a flier. Braga impressed on the left of midfield and looks set for a second run out against Hamilton in Cumbernauld on Tuesday. Tynecastle was only just over half full for the visit of the Pars. But the former Aalesunds ace can't wait to see the stadium rocking when the real stuff gets underway in a fortnight. He said: 'It was amazing. For the warm-up it was really good. And just when I came in for the start of the game it was great. 'It's probably the time I've played in front of the most people. The heart-rate was raised a little bit! It was exciting. 'Now I need to get used to it and hopefully we'll have a full crowd all the time. 'I was in the third league in Portugal and then in Norway there could be 10,000 people in the stadium, but not always. 'The supporters are so close to the players here. The environment is different, but I thought Tynecastle was great.' McInnes doesn't believe in honeymoon periods and has already stated his intention to go for silverware in the first trophy of the season. And Braga, who has yet to win a major honour in his career, shares that thirst for success after being impressed by his new team mates during the pre-season camp in Spain. The Jambos flopped to a bottom six finish last season and fell at the first hurdle in this competition after being humbled by Falkirk. But Braga said: 'This is a very good quality squad. 'I feel it can be a big season. We had a lot of hard training while we were away. We came here more prepared for the physical side than tactical. But we're getting there. 'This is just the beginning, first game, first test. A lot of people are still getting to know each other. 'I feel like things can be really good. I hope to get way better than last year. Top six should be at least the goal. 'But to be honest, I hope we achieve way more than that. Not just stop with this League Cup, keep winning and get as far as we can in the championship.' Braga is one of six new signings in the door and Hearts are expecting to complete two more this week with wingers Sabah Kerjota and Pierre Landry Kabore close to finalising deals. The 25-year-old netted 14 goals in 41 games for Norwegians Aalesunds last season. And he reckons he can get even better under McInnes - once he gets to grips with the physicality of the Scottish game. He said: 'He's a great guy and he can tell the message in a good way. 'Hopefully I can start way more and work with him, grow up as a player and get to know a bit more how should I adapt to Scottish football. 'He has been in Scottish football a long time. I can learn a lot. 'Saturday was hard, but it was good. It was physical but that's what I was expecting. The atmosphere was good. 'I need to live with the physical side of it. It's always different when you face that kind of football. 'Now I'm in the Scottish league I need to adapt and the type of football I'll be playing here. 'Dunfermline were hard, but I think a bit more gym work and I'll be better.' Braga played off a front two of Lawrence Shankland and James Wilson, both of whom got off the mark against Dunfermline. And he's already been stunned by 18-year-old Wilson's ability. He said: 'It's crazy how mature he is for his age. He has played for the Scotland national team and is still a great, humble guy. 'So that makes him better than if he was arrogant. At 18, if you achieve that much you can kind of do that.'
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Daily Record
I'm a Rangers man but this 'ridiculous' Celtic legend blows two of my club's very best out the water
Steve Nicol says Billy McNeill was better than Rangers greats like John Greig and Alex McLeish Billy McNeill is arguably the greatest defender ever to play in Scotland – and even self professed ' Rangers man' Steve Nicol admits he can't argue with that. 'Cesar' was the captain of the Celtic Lisbon Lions team who won the European Cup in 1967, which remains the greatest accomplishment by a Scottish team in Europe to this day. Rangers and Aberdeen have had their own glories on the continental stage but it would take a miracle for anything to rival the Hoops' triumph under the great Jock Stein. One man who knows a thing or two about a European Cup is former Liverpool right-back Nicol. He won one himself at Anfield in 1984, one of ten major honours he registered throughout his 13 years in Merseyside. Nicol played 27 times for Scotland in his pomp and while his domestic career north of the border was a little more low key, spending two years at Ayr before moving south, he's never hid his allegiances as a died-in-the-wool Rangers fan. But when asked how Ibrox greats such as John Greig and Alex McLeish fair compared to McNeil, it was a no-contest in his eyes. He was asked on ESPN to start one, bench one and drop one of that iconic trio of defenders. And there was only one winner. He said: 'Listen, I am a Rangers man. But I am going to have to go with Billy McNeill to start. Big Cesar. 'He captained Celtic to the old European Cup, now the Champions League. How many times did they win the league? Nine. Ridiculous. Billy McNeill would start. 'I would have John Greig on the bench. An absolute legend at Rangers. Lifted the old Cup Winners Cup in Europe for Rangers. Won plenty of titles. 'He was the manager at Rangers, as was Billy McNeill was manager at Celtic. "As good as big Eck was, unfortunately, Billy and John just outdo him. He would agree with that.' You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Daily Record
Rangers players true feelings on Celtic escape Ibrox dressing room as 49ers 'marker' goes beyond £40m gauntlet
Colin Hendry is a big fan of the new Ibrox boss and reckons he will be a hit this season Former Rangers defender Colin Hendry insists the Ibrox dressing room are "fed up" watching Celtic dominate Scottish football. And he insists the new owners 49ers Enterprises will know Russell Martin 's real task is to dethrone the Hoops - not the Champions League clash with Panathinaikos. Back in 2021, Hendry was left impressed by Martin during his time at MK Dons as he discussed a move for his son Callum from St Johnstone to the English Football League side. The transfer didn't materialise but the ex-Scotland international has continued to track the progress of Martin - and is delighted to see him in the Ibrox hot seat. But he reckons that the route to Europe's elite competition and a £40million league phase jackpot doesn't matter as much to Martin and the Rangers' support as catching Brendan Rodgers' men. And he reckons he knows exactly how James Tavernier and Co will feel about watching Callum McGregor regularly bring silverware to Celtic Park. Hendry told The Sunday Post: "Russell would have been 34 or 35 at the time and it was his first few weeks in the job at MK Dons. "We met for an hour and I was impressed. He was young, he was enthusiastic and he was honest. Russell showed me that he had something about him. I left the meeting thinking that I was going to follow his career. "There is no doubt Russell will have learned so much from those four or five months in the EPL (with Southampton). Rangers will get the benefit of that. "It is not going to be easy for him, that's for sure. It's a massive ask to go to Rangers and turn them into title winners. But that's what he has signed up for. "He knows the level of expectation and he knows that he will need to deliver. Rangers is a massive football club and they want success. They are fed up seeing Celtic being so dominant. "The Champions League tie against Panathinaikos will be important, of course it is. But the true marker is what the club does in the Premiership. "Winning the league is what truly matters. Last season, the team showed that they could beat Celtic. But the true marker is what the club does in the Premiership. "But it was going to Motherwell, St Mirren and Hibernian. They are the fixtures where they faltered. They need to get that right. "I found it tough psychologically, with the demands of having to win but not just by one goal. No, the fans wanted us to win by three or four. "That's what Rangers is about. But that kind of pressure isn't for everyone. Whether a manager or a player, you need to have something special about you to cope with that every week. "It's been clear in the past decade or so that too many people at Rangers haven't been up to the task and it needs to change."
