EXCLUSIVE
John Hartson will be appearing at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, along with Celtic legends Chris Sutton and Stiliyan Petrov on Monday, April 30. JOHN HARTSON came within a whisker of matching a Celtic Ibrox record set when Parkhead stars had twirly moustaches and puffed on pipes at half-time.
The Hoops hero was just minutes away from firing Martin O’Neill’s troops to four wins on the spin at the home of their fiercest rivals only to fall just short.
But he is convinced the current crop can join the old Bhoys in the record books. Brendan Rodgers’ side have banked three in a row in Govan and victory on Sunday would level a feat last pulled off by Willie Maley’s men back in 1909.
Hartson came close when, after a trio of wins, he scored the opener at Ibrox in the League Cup clash in November 2004 – only for Dada Prso to pounce late on and Shota Arveladze to win it in extra-time.
The Celtic goal centurion reckons the class of 2018 can go a step beyond – but admits they’ll need to pull out the stops to sink a resurgent Gers side.
Hartson told Record Sport: “I remember that game in 2004, I scored a header at the back post and we thought we were on our way. It wasn’t to be but we had a decent run at Ibrox back then.
“We didn’t go into that game thinking about records – because we knew the past meant nothing once the whistle went in Old Firm matches.
“It will be the same for Celtic on Sunday. They can make it four in a row but all they will be thinking about is getting the three points and then you can reflect on the achievement afterwards.
“One thing is for sure, Celtic will need to play well. In the last few trips to Ibrox they have been excellent but you could argue they haven’t really needed to be at their best.
“They’ve had the upper hand but this time you’d think they’ll need to be performing at their peak.
“Rangers seem to be in a better place and go into the game with a bit more belief. They are scoring lots of goals, the new