SCOTT WILL SINC GERS
GARY IRVINE watched Scott Sinclair sink St Mirren’s Scottish Cup dream then tipped him to run Rangers ragged once again.
The Saints defender was powerless as the Celtic star spurred the Hoops to come from behind and beat the Buddies 4-1 in Sunday’s quarter-final clash at Parkhead.
Sinclair hit the winner in the 2-1 Hogmanay triumph over Gers having also netted in September’s 5-1 derby destruction.
And Irvine reckons the English ace is just the man to pile more misery on the Light Blues.
He said: “I came through the ranks with Aiden McGeady and Shaun Maloney at Celtic. I know what makes a quality winger and Sinclair is up there with them.
“This Old Firm game is the sort of stage he lives for. He’s a big-game player, he proved it when he scored at Ibrox.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he has the same sort of impact at Parkhead.” AGED 12 Craig Gordon was barking instructions at his centre-halves and organising.
Now at 34 he’s doing Cruyff turns in his own penalty box.
Over a 22-year period Gary Kirk has seen the lot from the Celtic No.1 and nothing takes him by surprise in terms of Gordon’s quality.
Now the complete package working under Brendan Rodgers, Gordon is being rewarded for his stunning form with an extended three-year deal at Parkhead which will take him through two decades as a senior professional.
As far as Kirk is concerned the traits of excellence have been in place long before then.
Kirk is now Head of Academy Recruitment at Hearts but back in the mid-1990s he was Gordon’s coach at Tynecastle Boys’ Club.
The connection extended to Kirk being the man who gave the keeper his first senior start in 2001 as Cowdenbeath manager after taking him on loan from Hearts.
Kirk said: “I had Craig at Tynecastle Boys’ Club before he went to Hearts. Even when he was there at a very young age he was talking to defenders and organising them – speaking to them, sorting them out.
“He was doing everything a senior goalkeeper would be doing and he was aged just 12.
“He was a really good goalie back then. Craig went to Hearts after that and I left the same season to join Cowdenbeath as a reserve team manager.
“That same season I worked with Craig Levein and when he went to Hearts I was in charge and asked him if I could take Craig on loan.
“He came in and was superb, different class. He was just as good then as he is now.
“Craig was virtually the same back then physically as he is now, really tall and quite thin. He’s been like a stick all of his career!
“He played his first senior game for me against Queen of the South and was unbelievable.
“We won the game but the truth is we got a doing throughout. Craig was different class and kept us in it.
“When you have a young goalkeeper some strikers are keen to make a mark on them, test their mettle.
“People would push against him, try to intimidate him, but Craig handled everything that was thrown at him and that is because he is so level-headed.
“He takes everything in his stride and was superb for me at Cowdenbeath. In fairness he got plenty of practice.
“Craig had great hands at the time all through his younger years, he kicked the ball well and read the game.
“He’s carried that throughout his career. He’s a great professional.”
Gordon continued on an upward trajectory from those days at Central Park with
a fine spell at Hearts leading to a £9million move to Sunderland in the English Premier League.
However, his world came crashing down when serious knee injuries threatened his career.
Operations followed along with three long years on the sidelines. Kirk said: “A lot of people wondered if he’d come back but it showed that mental toughness.
“Craig is so level-headed and got himself into a frame of mind that he would beat those injuries.
“He worked really, really hard at it. He went all over the place trying to get his knee fixed. He was going into clubs’ training off his own back getting fit and trying to prove himself. He proved it.”
Kirk is right about that and he’s