Latest news with #BrianIrvine
Daily Record
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Aberdeen vs Celtic LIVE score and goal updates from the Scottish Cup final at Hampden
Aberdeen defeated Celtic in the first ever Scottish Cup final penalty shoot out to lift the famous trophy 35 years ago. But since that day of dejection for the Hoops they have lifted the silverware THIRTEEN times with the Dons still waiting to get their hands on it again. Few could have predicted that scenario when the final whistle blew at a sun-kissed Hampden Park back in 1990 when Brian Irvine's decisive spot-kick earned the Reds an epic 9-8 shoot-out win. A repeat today would be one of the biggest ever upsets in the final with Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic troops 90 minutes from completing what would be a record-extending ninth Treble. The four-in-a-row Scottish Premiership champions have stuck five past Aberdeen the last two times they have played them and netted SIX when they last met at Hampden Park in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final earlier this season. Jimmy Thelin must come up with a game plan to reverse the trend - like the Swede did in the first meeting between the sides this season when they came from two goals down to salvage a shock draw at Parkhead.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: 'I was on cloud nine...' Brian Irvine recalls 'intense high' of penalty shootout winner against Celtic which sealed Dons' last Scottish Cup triumph in 1990
The longest walk in the game of football leads you to one of two places. Most of those who've erred in a penalty shoot-out in a cup final stumble into the pits of despair. Many struggle to leave. The majority who've been successful from 12 yards inhabit a place where joy is unbridled. Even 35 years after stroking home the winning penalty for Aberdeen against Celtic, part of Brian Irvine still resides there. Scarcely a day has passed since without the former defender being asked to recall the moment his strike confirmed a 9-8 victory on penalties for Alex Smith's side after a goalless 120 minutes. One question from his inquisitors is a constant. It relates to the instant one sees the ball hit the back of the net and you know it is all over. What was it like? 'The high was just so intense,' he tells Mail Sport. 'Literally, you've got that definition of cloud nine. 'It's just unbelievable, the high of scoring and thinking how much it meant to so many people, the supporters and the team. It's just an amazing, amazing feeling.' Irvine was the last outfield player to step up that afternoon at Hampden meaning a miss would have seen the goalkeepers, Theo Snelders and Pat Bonner, next spot the ball. By that stage, the failure of Dariusz Wdowczyk to convert Celtic's first and Brian Grant to score Aberdeen's fourth felt like ancient history. After a subdued period of extra-time, the drama as the shoot-out effectively entered sudden death was gripping. The worst kept secret in Scottish football was that Charlie Nicholas was set to rejoin Celtic from Aberdeen immediately after the final. When Mike Galloway beat Snelders to put Celtic 4-3 in front, the former Arsenal striker was left with no margin for error. 'It was one of the best penalties,' Irvine recalled of a conversion at the end housing the Dons fans. 'The way he put it right in the top corner - it was either brilliant or maybe he meant to miss and it just sneaked in!' Nicholas's unerring accuracy was matched, in turn, by Alex McLeish, Stewart McKimmie, David Robertson and the teenage Graham Watson. When Snelders dived to his left to deny Rogan, Irvine prepared to walk up from the half-way line and to take the first penalty of his professional career. 'If the guys who went before me had missed, Celtic would have won because they were always scoring,' Irvine explained. 'So, the pressure on me was less because by the time I went forward, it was a chance of winning. The situation, for me, was more positive. 'You're certainly not thinking it's a chance to put my name in folklore. 'The reason I was down the list was I had no confidence in penalties. As a boy at school, I was never confident hitting one. I always missed.' If he'd dreamt of such a life-affirming moment as a child he can't remember it. Born in the West of Scotland, Irvine started out at Falkirk in 1983 but was an Aberdeen fan long before the club conquered Europe that year. When Alex Ferguson approached him two years later, he couldn't sign quickly enough. 'I had an offer to go to Charlton which was better terms as it was London,' he said. 'But when I heard Aberdeen were interested, I signed as quickly as I could. I was an Aberdeen supporter even though I lived in Airdrie. 'I didn't even know what I was signing. I thought I was signing a three-year contract, but it turned out to be a four.' For an emerging central defender in Scotland back then, splitting the atom would have seemed an easy task than breaking up the partnership of Willie Miller and Alex McLeish. 'That was not in my mind,' said Irvine. 'It would have been too overwhelming. 'It was just a case of turning up seeing how you could get on with the reserves. 'Eventually I got a chance. I got more game time and a wee bit more experience. 'It just built up for a few seasons until we got to 1989-1990.' Miller made only 15 appearances that year but did start the League Cup Final against Rangers in October. Irvine, who replaced Eoin Jess at Hampden, recalls the 2-1 triumph in extra-time, as the day the guard changed. 'From that point on, I was playing every week alongside Alex,' he said. 'I was then pretty much a regular on the team as Willie was coming to the end of his career. 'That was a breakthrough season for me. Also, with the final against Celtic, that gave you that bit of credibility with the supporters.' With one cup secured, Alex Smith's side went after the second like an attack dog. They won 6-2 away to Partick Thistle and beat Morton 2-1 at home. Irvine scored as Hearts were thrashed 4-1 in the quarter-final and again as the Dons demolished Dundee United 4-0 in the semi. They were favourites to beat Celtic in the final even before they won 3-1 at Parkhead in a league match 10 days before. With players of the ilk of Jim Bett and Hans Gillhaus in their side, the only real surprise was they required penalties to do so. Irvine has a rare moment to himself with the trophy his penalty helped to secure 'Celtic had a lot of resources going into redeveloping the stadium,' Irvine recalled. 'They were struggling. In fact, because they didn't win the Scottish Cup, they didn't even qualify for Europe because they finished mid-table.' These were very different times. In the six seasons from 1988-89, Aberdeen would finish second to Rangers on five occasions. The decline came suddenly in 1994-95 when a play-off win against Dunfermline was required to preserve the club's top-flight status. Irvine already had enough on his plate that year when he learned he was suffering from multiple sclerosis. He still played for a further two seasons at Pittodrie before stints with Dundee and Ross County. Thirty years on from getting the bombshell news, he still lives a full life. 'You just take it one day at a time,' he explained. 'On the whole, it's been relatively benign. I have sensations and feelings rather than it affecting movements. 'You just make the most of each day and be thankful for each day.' His Scotland career had ended by that point. He earned nine caps against some illustrious opponents and was considered unfortunate not to make the squad for Euro '92 in Sweden. 'I made my debut against Romania and faced Germany, Holland and Italy,' he said. 'I played against (Jurgen) Klinsmann, (Roberto) Baggio and (Ruud) Gullit. 'I don't think they're all sitting somewhere saying they played against Brian Irvine, but that was the level of players you were up against.' After playing, he remained at County as a coach and helped out Martin Rennie at Cleveland City Stars and Carolina Railhawks after taking charge at Elgin. A season spent with Rennie in Seoul remains his last involvement with front-line football. He fulfilled a lifetime ambition by joining the police force in his early 50s but discovered it was not for him. 'It was a kind of stress that you maybe didn't need,' he explained. 'At that age, it was quite difficult to get to grips with it. 'But I was glad I went through it, the process of the training. I did the two years, passed the exams and managed to come through.' His kept the family house in Inverness that he bought when he signed for County and lives there to this day, juggling his shifts in the stockroom of a supermarket with care and charity work which has taken him to Malawi and Uganda. 'When you go through to the Aberdeen games, everybody knows you and everybody asks about the cup final 35 years ago,' he said. 'You contrast that with your everyday life. It's like a night and day. It's almost like a phone box you go into and change into someone else.' He'd have cleared his diary for Saturday even if the Dons hadn't been bound for Hampden. Whatever the outcome, he celebrates his 60th birthday that day. 'I've got a ticket organised, so I hope to go,' he said. 'I still have affection and a strong bond with Aberdeen.' Like most Dons fans, he will travel south more in hope than expectation of seeing Graeme Shinnie lift the trophy. It was a day that cup final heroes Snelders and Irvine will never forget We all know that anything can happen on the day, though. From time to time, unlikely heroes emerge and change history and their lives. Irvine will attest to this. 'Suddenly, you're doing a lap of honour with a trophy with all these heroes in front of your own fans,' he recalled of the defining moment of his career. 'You've seen Aberdeen winning cups before on TV and now here we are taking part and contributing ourselves. It was surreal, but such a wonderful experience. 'I've always said Aberdeen will win the cup again one day. 'If everybody plays to their full potential, I think obviously Celtic will be favourites. 'But a football fan will always be hoping that maybe something happens in the game which can swing it in their side's favour. 'I think the great thing for football is that supporters can go into any game with hope. If you're a strong underdog, it doesn't matter.'
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'No one recognises me at Pittodrie' - Aberdeen's unlikely 1990 hero
Graham Watson scored a sudden-death penalty when Aberdeen last won the Scottish Cup in 1990. You'd be forgiven for thinking he is given a hero's welcome on his each and every return to Pittodrie. But that isn't the case."Unless they knew me, I don't think anybody would recognise me at Pittodrie now," Watson said."Some people will probably look at the cup final team picture and query 'who's that guy?'"Among a star-studded side, the defender was an unlikely hero at 19 years was, reluctantly, tasked with lining up against against Republic of Ireland and Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner to keep his team alive in the Watson came off the bench in extra time for just his fifth first-team appearance after making his debut less than a month previously and kept his cool amid the Hampden "bedlam" to make it teenager's strike paved the way for Brian Irvine to score the winner after Anton Rogan's spot-kick was saved by Dons keeper Theo Snelders. "I didn't even expect to be in the 13," 54-year-old Watson said, reflecting on his career-defining day 35 years on and ahead of Saturday's Hampden rematch between the added: "Even when I was on the bench, I didn't think about going on the park. I felt like a spectator."When I did get on, I had a few involvements in the game and then it just kind of ran to penalties and I was thinking there's no way I would be part of any conversations for taking a penalty."It was just a major relief when I saw it going in. It would have been good to score the winner but it was still good to score one. It would have been a disaster if I'd missed."The 1990 triumph would be the pinnacle of Watson's otherwise low-key career. He broke his leg in a friendly in Holland a few weeks later and missed the entire following 13 appearances in the 1991-92 campaign, he dropped back into the reserves and then left Pittodrie in 1994 and had spells with Clyde, Livingston and Forfar before embarking on a long career in the police."It was funny because I went up 10 years ago for the 25-year anniversary and some of the other players didn't even recognise me because obviously I'm bald now and have put on a bit of weight," said Watson."Some professionals play for 20 years or make 400 appearances for a team and don't win a cup final so for me to have 15-20 appearances for Aberdeen and get a cup winner's medal there, I feel pretty lucky."
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Aberdeen supporter's ten reasons why they can beat Celtic in Scottish Cup final
Many have written Dons off - but one man still has confidence Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It's an understatement to say that there are not many people tipping Aberdeen to win Saturday's Scottish Cup final against Celtic. But here are ten reasons why Dons supporters should head to Hampden with hope, according to The Scotsman's resident Aberdeen supporter Scott Coull ... 1. Year of the underdog 1990 was the last time Aberdeen lifted the Scottish Cup. It has been 35 long years since Brian Irvine's spot-kick nestled in the net to seal a 9-8 shootout win over Celtic at Hampden. But it seems that 2025 is the year to smash trophy hoodoos. Newcastle United ended 70 years of pain when they won the Carabao Cup in March; Bologna, with ex-Don Lewis Ferguson in midfield, won the Coppa Italia earlier this month for their first piece of silverware in 51 years; Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles (once managed by the late former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood) won the KNVB Cup in April to break a 93-year trophy drought; last Saturday Crystal Palace's FA Cup triumph was the first time the club had won a major trophy in their 119-year history; and on Wednesday Tottenham's 17-year trophy hiatus was brought to an end with Europa League glory in Bilbao. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Go Ahead Eagles celebrate winning the KNVB Cup last month. | ANP/AFP via Getty Images 2. The Red Army The relationship between Aberdeen's players and supporters suffered an unexpected setback last weekend when one moronic fan decided to hurl a broken seat on to the pitch at Tannadice. Left-back Jack MacKenzie was left seriously injured during the incident and it would be understandable if a rift developed between the squad and the fans. Nevertheless, the backing the Dons have received from the Red Army this season has been exceptional and manager Jimmy Thelin has regularly praised the supporters for inspiring his players to victories or sticking with them during defeats. Crucially, the Scottish FA decided on a 50-50 split of tickets for Saturday's showpiece, which means the teams won't walk out to a sea of green and white. The North Stand will be split fairly down the middle on this occasion and the Aberdeen Ultras' 'All in red' rallying cry will help create a special atmosphere. 3. Captain fantastic Graeme Shinnie, the Aberdeen captain, knows what it takes to win the Scottish Cup. Ten years ago next week he famously skippered Inverness Caledonian Thistle to a 2-1 victory against Falkirk at Hampden and is desperate to get his hands on the trophy again. "I've never shied away from saying it would mean everything," said Shinnie this week about the prospect of doing the cup double as a captain. "It would be massive for me." It will be intriguing to see where the combative 33-year-old starts on Saturday. Thelin has been playing him at left-back in recent weeks but Celtic's pace on the flanks is a worry and may force the Swede to put Shinnie back in midfield. What is almost certain is that he'll start somewhere. Especially with the vocal Sivert Heltne Nilsen sidelined with an eye injury, Aberdeen will look to Shinnie to be the driving force against Celtic... and hope that his previous experience with Caley Thistle is a lucky omen. Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie. | Getty Images 4. Hatate misses out Celtic won't be at full strength for the cup final. Japanese midfielder Reo Hatate suffered a season-ending injury during a league fixture at Pittodrie a couple of weeks ago and it's expected that either Paulo Bernardo or Luke McCowan will take his place. While skipper Callum McGregor is the undoubted heartbeat of the Celtic team and Bernardo or McCowan will be an able deputy, Hatate's absence is a blow for the treble-chasers. "He'll miss the last two games of the season - sadly for him and for us," said manager Brendan Rodgers. Hatate played 55 games this season and scored 11 goals, including in Celtic's 1-0 win at Aberdeen in December. He made the difference in a tight contest that night but won't be able to influence this weekend's fixture. 5. Better Leighton than never It was considered a bit of a coup when Aberdeen signed Leighton Clarkson from Liverpool a couple of summers ago. The midfielder's critics would say he's a bit lightweight and can misplace one too many passes, but there's little doubt he can be the Dons' match-winner at Hampden. Clarkson, 23, has the ability to unlock the Celtic defence with a World Cup pass and his expertise from set pieces was demonstrated in stunning fashion against Rangers last month when his long-range free-kick whistled past Liam Kelly. If Clarkson is on his game then Aberdeen have a chance. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Reo Hatate won't make it for Celtic - but Aberdeen's Leighton Clarkson will. | Getty Images 6. Celtic are not invincible This Celtic team may yet walk away with every domestic trophy on offer but they're not Rodgers' Invincibles side of 2016/17. The 2024/25 edition are beatable and have had more than enough slip-ups this season to give Aberdeen supporters hope. Since the turn of the year alone, the Parkhead side have lost to St Johnstone, Rangers and Hibernian in the Premiership and dropped points against St Mirren and Dundee. Was complacency a factor on those occasions? Celtic are overwhelming favourites to collect another piece of silverware this weekend and, no matter how much Rodgers guards against it, some players may allow overconfidence to creep into their mindset. If that's the case, Aberdeen can capitalise. 7. The 2-2 game Aberdeen's woeful record against Celtic has been well documented. The week before last Rodgers' reserves went to Pittodrie and cruised to a 5-1 win, and the last time the teams met at Hampden, back in November, the Dons were thumped 6-0. But a fortnight before that League Cup semi-final, Thelin's men went toe to toe with Saturday's opponents in a thrilling 2-2 Premiership draw and that match should be the players' reference point - or rather, the second half of that match. They looked down and out when goals from Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi gave Celtic a 2-0 interval lead but a clinical, ambitious and organised approach in the second 45 was rewarded with a point. Ester Sokler and Shinnie scored excellent counter-attacking goals and Aberdeen might have won the game if Slobodan Rubezic's header hadn't been ruled out when VAR spotted a Duk handball. Aberdeen's Slobodan Rubezic, Gavin Molly and Ester Sokler, Jamie McGrath and Duk celebrate the full time whistle during the 2-2 draw at Celtic Park earlier this season. | SNS Group 8. Lightning can strike twice Do you believe in a higher power? The last time Aberdeen and Celtic met in the final of the Scottish Cup, back in 2017, there might have been some divine intervention at play. At the exact moment Tom Rogic fired his 92nd-minute shot beyond Dons goalkeeper Joe Lewis to seal a dramatic 2-1 win there was an eerie bolt of lightning which lit up the Hampden sky. It was as if a spell had been cast to ensure Celtic completed their unbeaten domestic treble. And there was surely some spooky interference from someone somewhere when Jonny Hayes earlier misplaced THAT pass to Kenny McLean! Maybe this time the fates will conspire in Aberdeen's favour rather than against them. Rain is forecast for cup final day so keep an eye out for another flash of lightning... 9. Luck of the draw Sometimes when teams get decent cup draws on so many occasions, you start to wonder if their name is on the trophy. When Hearts famously lifted their first piece of silverware in 36 years by winning the Scottish Cup back in 1998, their run to the final against Rangers was favourable to say the least - Clydebank, Albion Rovers, Ayr United and Falkirk. Aberdeen have had similar good fortune this season, with Elgin City, Dunfermline Athletic and Queen's Park all ties that supporters would have hand-picked themselves. Hearts in the semi-final was trickier, of course, but a tie they eventually negotiated to set up this weekend's shot at glory. Is Aberdeen's name on the trophy? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aberdeen celebrate beating Hearts in the semi-finals. | SNS Group 10. Dons can finish how they started
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Irvine unsure whether he'll attend Aberdeen final
Brian Irvine, who scored Aberdeen's winning penalty in their 1990 Scottish Cup final over Celtic, will turn 60 on Saturday when the sides meet again in this season's final - and is unsure whether he will attend the game or watch at home. (Record), externalIrvine reveals he was "never confident" with penalties prior to his famous spot-kick. (Herald - subscription required), externalRead Sunday's Scottish gossip
