Stunning strike 'right up there' in Carey collection
"It's think it's right up there."The words of a modest Graham Carey after his 30-yard screamer secured St Johnstone's spot in the last four of the Scottish Cup with victory over Livingston.Perhaps also telling of the frequency the midfielder scores such magnificent strikes.His manager, Simo Valakari, and team-mates noted post-match they see the 35-year-old do that on a regular basis in training, but even the man himself couldn't understate the importance of doing it on a Scottish Cup quarter-final stage."I think this is right up there just because of the meaning of the goal as well," Carey told BBC Scotland."Obviously it was 0-0 and at a crucial time in the game, so to put us on the front foot to go and win the game and get into the semi-final, I think it's right up there."It was still goalless because of the heroics, particularly in the first half, from Saints goalkeeper Andy Fisher, who denied Andrew Shinnie and Danny Wilson with superb saves."I've just stood and saw the ball come at me and I've reacted well to it," Fisher said."I got a good dive off but yeah, that's what I'm there to do."Few folks in the stadium had a better view of Carey's cracker than Fisher, and given he's faced a few in training, he knows opposite number Jerome Prior was left helpless."Unfortunately I do face them in training," he said. "I was right behind it, I saw the movement on the ball and I think the keeper had no chance."
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Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Unseeded Hibs face UEFA uncertainty in Europa League draw
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Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But Aberdeen's shock Scottish Cup win over Celtic saw the Dons claim the higher place on Scotland's entry list, with Jimmy Thelin's men entering the Europa League at the play-off stage. Even if they fail to make it beyond that stage, they'll be guaranteed a spot in the Europa Conference League proper. Look at what you could have won, right? Let's take a look, then, at exactly how the land lies ahead of Wednesday's events in Switzerland. Who could Hibs get? And when will they find out their fate? The draw before the draw … High noon on Wednesday is the reminder you need to set on your calendar. That's when UEFA will be rattling the balls around the bowls in Nyon, as the second qualifying round of the Europa League is arranged into eight home-and-away ties. But it's not as simple as that, of course. With UEFA, it never is. Because the draw for the FIRST qualifying round only takes place 24 hours before the second qualifying round draw. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Europa League first qualifying round - Tuesday Seeded Unseeded Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) AEK Larnaca (Cyprus) Legia Warsaw (Poland) BK Häcken (Sweden) Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) Paksi FC (Hungary) Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) CFR Cluj (Romania) Sabah FK (Azerbaijan) Hapoel Beer-Sheva (Israel) Ilves Tampere (Finland) NK Celje (Slovenia) FK Aktobe (Kazakhstan) Spartak Trnava (Slovakia) FC Prishtina (Kosovo) Brace yourselves, then, for a lot of either/or when it comes to figuring out who will actually be playing who. Or is it whom? The all-important seeding Hibs will be unseeded for the draw on Wednesday. Regardless of how the eight ties in the first qualifying round pan out, that won't change. All about the coefficient, right? Looking at the seeded teams guaranteed to be on the other side of the draw, Gray's men could face an incredibly daunting task just to reach the third qualifying round. Four of their potential opponents are all proven veterans of UEFA competition, for starters. Danish club FC Midtjylland jump out for obvious reasons, not least the fact that they've been domestic champions as recently as 2024. Renowned across Europe for being one of the most innovative clubs in football, with their scouting systems and training methods much copied by teams with much bigger budgets, they missed out on back-to-back titles by just a single point last season, when they also progressed to the Europa League knockout phase play-offs, eventually losing to Real Sociedad. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Sporting Braga didn't get out of the league phase of UEFA's second-tier competition. But the Portuguese side only missed out on a place in the knockout phase play-offs on goal difference – and finished fourth in their domestic league behind the traditional powerhouse trio of Sporting, Benfica and Porto. Belgian side Anderlecht also reached the Europa League knockout phase play-offs last season. Oh, and FC Lugano reached the last 16 of the Europa Conference League while finishing fourth in the Swiss Super League. Europa League second qualifying round draw - Wednesday Seeded (*denotes team in first qualifying round) Unseeded (*denotes team in first qualifying round) FC Midtjylland (Denmark) Hibernian (Scotland) Sporting Braga (Portugal) Besiktas (Turkey) Anderlecht (Belgium) FC Utrecht (Netherlands) FC Lugano (Switzerland) Banik Ostrava (Czechia) Shakhtar Donetsk* (Ukraine) CFR Club* (Romania) Legia Warsaw* (Poland) Hapoel Beer-Sheva* (Israel) Partizan Belgrade* (Serbia) NK Celje* (Slovenia) Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova) Spartak Trnava* (Slovakia) The other four seeded places in the draw will come from the first qualifying round. 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But you might want to log on early, just to confuse yourself a little more. How much prep time will Gray's men have? Should they avoid one of the either/or combinations in Wednesday's draw, Hibs will be able to start planning for their two-legged tie against opponent X on July 24 and 31. Get stuck with the winners of a first qualifying round tie, however, and they'll be waiting until July 17 – just a week before they play - to make any travel/hosting arrangements. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Either way, most bookies will take one look at the record of Scottish clubs in European football … and predict an early exit for Gray's men. If that happens, they drop into the Europa Conference League third qualifying round. Should they knock out a seeded side in the Europa League, however, Hibs would be rewarded with a seeding in the third qualifying round. Fall at that high hurdle and they drop into the Europa Conference League play-offs. Go all the way to the Europa League play-offs, meanwhile, and they can still claim the prize they thought was theirs before Aberdeen upset everything at Hampden. Guaranteed European football into the new year.
Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Daily Record
I see cracks in Celtic with transfer fears over four starters so maybe this Rangers claim is a myth –Hugh Keevins
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Daily Record
8 hours ago
- Daily Record
Celtic Park is no retirement home as Premier League royalty hit with brutal reality check
Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel have been tempted north of the border at the twilight of the careers Celtic may have lured two Premier League legends north late in their careers. But Shay Given is adamant Parkhead is no retirement home for goalkeeping royalty. Veterans Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel both conquered English football but couldn't resist the pull of Paradise. Man City favourite Hart rediscovered his love for the game during three trophy-laden years before hanging up the gloves last summer. His successor might be 38, but Schmeichel isn't done yet. The Leicester City title-winner has signed up for a second season with the Double-winners and still looks hungry for more. While Celts continue to unearth hidden gems from across the continent, in recent years, there has been a clear strategy of choosing an experienced head between the sticks. However, Republic of Ireland icon Given has rejected the idea that Celtic Park is a graveyard for big names to wind down. Promoting next month's glamour friendly between Celtic and Newcastle United, he said: "I wouldn't say it's a place for goalkeepers at the end of their careers. "What I would say about their mindsets to come to Celtic, it's such a big club and the expectation levels are really high on the goalkeeper. "Especially with the Old Firm, I think the mindset of the goalkeeper has to be really strong because you know going over there is going to be spicy with the fans, and even here if you make a mistake, the crowd will probably let you know. "It's a position that's high-profile and it's a position where you need to have rhino skin and a strong mentality. I wouldn't say it's end-of-your-career stuff coming here, I wouldn't think that at all. "Chris Sutton came up here after winning the league with Blackburn and did some good things, it's not just goalkeepers." Schmeichel proved more than a safe pair of hands in his debut campaign. The Denmark captain's pinpoint distribution has added a new dimension to Brendan Rodgers' side, with the gaffer demanding the champions play out from the back. But there's no escaping the sting of Hampden. An uncharacteristic blunder from Schmeichel gifted Aberdeen the Scottish Cup – and ripped the Treble from the Hoops' grasp in heartbreaking fashion. Still, Given insists the battle-hardened Dane will be back stronger after a well-earned summer break. Given said: "He'll be disappointed with the final and the goal because it's a mistake, there's no point trying to dress it up any other way. "He knows himself he probably should have done better with it. It's a disappointing end to a brilliant season, because he's still won the double. "I suppose the icing on the cake would have been to get their hands on the Treble but it wasn't to be. The journey his whole career has been on, he's had knock-backs as a kid and had to go right down to Notts County and play. "He built his way back up and won the Premier League with Leicester. There's so much more positives than negatives. When you're a goalkeeper, you are either brilliant or rubbish - that's probably the mentality of some people. "We've all been there before. You have to have a strong mentality and mindset to bounce back from that. "Brendan knows him inside out and knows how to get the best out of him, get him back to peak fitness after a break in the summer, which he deserves. Sometimes it's a mental break as much as anything that the players need. "I'm sure Kasper will go away and switch off mentally as much as anything and come back refreshed." Behind every keeper, there's a goalkeeping coach. Celtic have one of the very best in Stevie Woods - even if the credit rarely comes his way. Given, 49, knows just how crucial Woods' voice will be behind the scenes, especially during a difficult patch. "He's been here a good few years and got the pedigree and experience", Given said. "He'll have seen it all, Woodsy. "He'll do brilliant sessions but sometimes it's the wee talks as a goalkeeping coach. If you do make a mistake, how do you bounce back? "Just going for a walk with a coach like Woodsy and having a chat about things is as good as diving about and making loads of saves. "It's such a specialised position. I think someone of that calibre overseeing the whole goalkeeping department is great for the club as well. "I'm sure him and Kasper will have a chat, even in the close season, so he bounces back for pre-season. These guys are in the background and they probably don't get the credit they deserve sometimes. "The manager is front and foremost but there's a team behind him as well. They deserve great credit, the unsung heroes behind the scenes. "Again, his job will be to speak to Kasper and get the best out of him, but also to say to Viljami Sinisalo, 'You've got an opportunity to play this season, you've got to push yourself to the max and compete with Kasper'. "It's all about that voice and messaging." Third-choice keeper Scott Bain packed his bags for Falkirk after seven years at Celtic Park. From the outside looking in, being paid to sit on the bench while picking up trophy after trophy might seem like a dream gig. But Given pointed out: "It's a nice job but it's not an easy job either. You're training every single day and not getting a great chance of playing. But things can happen really quickly, look at the Scottish set-up at the minute. "Goalkeepers were dropping like flies and before you know it, the kid Cieran Slicker is making his debut at Hampden Park. "At Newcastle, Loris Karius' first game was a cup final - sometimes it happens overnight. A third-choice keeper has to be training like he's playing on a Saturday, but has the disappointment of not playing. "When you don't play, it's tough mentally, it can be draining. If it was me, I wouldn't really fancy it, to be honest." A lifelong fan, Given came through the ranks at Celtic but never made a senior appearance before upping sticks for Blackburn Rovers in 1994. Asked if he was ever close to coming back to his boyhood club, he added: "I don't think I was, no. I was a bit old-school back in the day, I used to have a solicitor look after me. "I didn't really have an agent. There were different articles in newspapers but I was never really privy to it."
