Philwouldbe supportingWell andCeltic..he lovedthemboth
SAYS TOM BOYD
TOM BOYD shared many of Phil O’Donnell’s career highlights.
Which is why the former Scotland fullback reckons it’s particularly fitting Motherwell and Celtic will face each other in tomorrow’s Betfred Cup Final almost 10 years after O’Donnell’s tragic and untimely death.
Boyd, who skippered Well in their Scottish Cup Final win in 1991, said: “Phil is rightly held in high esteem at both clubs. He has a stand named after him at Fir Park and at Celtic he was an integral part of the team that stopped Rangers winning 10 in a row.
“Someone asked me recently who Phil would be supporting. I think he’d sit on the fence because he had feelings for both clubs.
“It will be an emotional afternoon for Eileen and the family, especially with his boy Luc leading the teams out.
“When you look at some players and their lifestyles, Phil could be held up as a model professional with the way he lived his life on and off the park. That’s why he’s still revered for what he gave to the game.
“His trademark runs from the midfield were Phil’s biggest asset.
“I remember playing in a game against St Mirren, in what was his introduction to Motherwell, when Kenny McDowall welcomed him to Scottish football by giving Phil a burst nose.
“We all remember Phil for what he was – a fantastic football player and a fantastic person.
“I can remember him having a good couple of games against me and I can remember trying to match his runs which wasn’t easy. I thought I was fit but Phil was certainly up there.
“His goal in the ‘91 Cup Final was his first goal for Motherwell so what a way to do that.
“I also remember him scoring twice on his Celtic debut after Tommy Burns signed him. In that one match alone Phil matched my tally of Celtic goals from my full career!”
Boyd believes Celtic won’t get it all their own way tomorrow.
He added: “If Motherwell can reproduce their performance against Aberdeen and against Rangers in the semi-final they’ve certainly got a chance of winning.”