SAYS JOE MILLER

JOE MILLER wasn’t laughing as he recalled a training session when he feared he had become target practice at Windsor Park.

The ex-Celtic winger was on Aberdeen duty in 1995 for a bounce game in Belfast when he lit up the session by becoming the subject of friendly fire for Linfield fans.

It’s with humour and horror that the 49-year-old ex-Hoops star recounts the tale of being the focus of neighbourhood sharpshooters in a week that saw his old club line up a possible Champions League second-round qualifier with the Northern Irish side.

Miller played down the security concerns for a clash that has been moved to July 14 and will be played in the height of the marching season if Linfield progress past San Marino’s La Fiorita.

But it came with a warning that if his experience is a gauge, Celtic are in for a tough night as he backed the decision to reject tickets for travelling fans.

Miller said: “I’ve played at Windsor Park in a friendly and trained there with Aberdeen when Roy Aitken was manager and there were red dots on us for the whole 90 minutes.

“It was intimidating but we just had to keep moving.

“Roy, myself, big Derek Whyte and Tommy Craig were walking along the road and Roy was carrying the balls. They all flooded out of a pub at the top of the street, so we just continued walking while they were all shouting and bawling at us.

“So it can be intimidating and the timing of the game is a difficult one. It would probably be better for everyone’s safety to hold the tickets back.

“That will ensure everybody gets through this unscathed. You don’t want trouble, no matter what it’s over.

“You’ve got to see the club’s point of view. There are elements there so it could be a powderkeg or it might be a damp squib. You don’t know, you just have to see how it goes.”

Miller also believes it’s premature to pen Belfast into Celtic’s diary as La Fiorita could yet make sure all hypotheticals don’t come to fruition.

He said: “We’re being a bit disrespectful to the side they have to play first, you never know how that tie will go.”

The arrival of Brendan Rodgers and the impact of his first season in charge has created a mood change within the Celtic support of a club that should be striving forward in Europe by bucking the trend of selling their biggest talents.

Miller said: “The fans have watched the club sell their best players for long enough now.

“They want to keep their best players and build a side that can compete in Europe.”