Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Pat’s back in Hoops for charity
IT says everything about Celtic fans’ adoration for Paddy Mccourt that they will be desperate to catch a glimpse of him at Parkhead on Saturday.
The ex-hoops winger’s CV might not compare to those of Hristo Stoichkov, John Terry, Henrik Larsson or Dirk Kuyt.
But few Celtic players have enjoyed the type of cult status afforded to the Derry Pele.
Mccourt, 34, admits the relationship goes beyond what he produced on the pitch during five years in Glasgow and the fact he’s a Celtic fan was a factor.
But his ability played a part and his knack of scoring trademark wonder goals – against St Mirren and Falkirk in particular – helped him become a hero.
In A Match for Cancer when Stilian Petrov and James Milner’s starstudded select sides go head-to-head there will be excitement when Mccourt picks up the ball.
Now at Finn Harps, he is recovering from a knee injury and is set to retire at the end of the season after accepting an academy director role at Derry City.
Mccourt said: “Having an Irish background and being very open about being a Celtic fan when I was younger probably helped endear me to the fans.
“And maybe the fact I was capable of scoring a spectacular goal was a factor. But I was always very grateful for the support I received and still am to this day. I absolutely loved my time there.
“I have such a special rapport and I’l definitely be back as a supporter but I’d love to come back and help the club in some kind of capacity in the future.”