I STOPPED 10 IN A ROW... TWICE

Now Boyd’s backing Celts to finally break record

TOM BOYD played a key role in the Celtic sides that shattered Rangers’ 10-in-a-row hopes – not just once but twice.

The former Scotland defender famously lifted the title trophy in 1998 that prevented Walter Smith’s all-conquering Light Blues side from reaching the magical mark.

And he was also at Parkhead when Celts stopped the rot as their Ibrox rivals threatened to go 10 Old Firm games undefeated.

Boyd didn’t feature in that 2-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final win at Parkhead in March of 1997, where a Malky Mackay header and a Paolo di Canio penalty broke the streak.

But the 52-year-old realises the importance of that result and what it would mean if Brendan Rodgers’s men could write another slice of history with victory in Sunday’s cup semi-final against Rangers.

A full 21 years on from that night at Parkhead the men in green and white have the chance to be on the other side of history – by finally becoming the first team to go 10 games without loss in the derby.

Boyd said: “I actually never played in that game and that might be why Celtic won!

“It was important as we’d gone a long time without beating Rangers and that win showed we could finally compete with them.

“Over a league campaign you can rectify the mistakes you might make along the way but in a cup game you can’t do that as it’s one match.

“You need to perform. There are no replays and you play to the end and are in or out depending on the performance. Scottish Cup games are harder to win for that reason.

“At this moment Celtic have the strength in depth and you would expect them to win the league because of the quality they have.

“You can make up for the likes of defeats to Hearts and Kilmarnock but you can’t do that in the cups.

“Which is why it’s so hard to go and win them because you have to maintain that level and there is no margin for error.”

The irony is also not lost on Boyd that it was the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers on penalties that brought about drastic change in Paradise and heralded the start of the Rodgers revolution.

Out went Ronny Deila, in came the highly-rated Northern Irishman.

And he made an instant impact by guiding Celtic to an Invincible Treble in his first season as well as masterminding two memorable 5-1 home and away Premiership wins over their old foes.

Now Rodgers and Celtic stand on the threshold of another clean sweep and the Hoops could become the first Scots team in history to clinch back-to-back trebles.

Boyd said: “We can thank that game for happening. It might not have happened had the result gone the other way that day.

“There’s always a ray of sunshine when you’re depressed. It didn’t feel like it at the time but the light at the end of the tunnel was always Brendan Rodgers arriving.

“He made an immediate impact that everyone would have dreamed of. There’s been an extraordinary level of consistency since he arrived.

“Celtic have still only lost two games domestically under Brendan over two seasons and that’s a stunning level of consistency.

“It’s an incredible amount of professionalism from Brendan and his backroom staff that Celtic are managing to maintain those levels.”

Boyd reckons Celts inflicted a deep psychological wound on Rangers by winning 3-2 at Ibrox last month – despite being a man down for 30 minutes.

But he believes the defending champions will take nothing for granted especially with Scott Brown as skipper.

He said: “As Scott said these Celtic players do their talking on the park. You know what Broony’s like.

“Other players can talk the talk but he does his talking on the park and he produced a real captain’s performance in the last win at Ibrox.

“He’s been fantastic under Brendan. People talk about Kieran Tierney’s consistency but Broony is right up there.

“He’s really flourishing under the coaching set-up, he’s clearly enjoying his football and probably playing the best football of his career.

“They go out and set a level and now in the run-in I think you will see Celtic getting stronger.

“I’d hope the recent league defeat at Ibrox had an effect on Rangers. I don’t think they’ll be as cocky. They won’t be cheering the prospect of facing Celtic like they were when the draw was made.

“As long as Celts turn up they have a great chance of reaching the Final.”