McGinn in mood to end Celtic’s record run

NIAL McGINN believes he is in perfect shape to help Aberdeen end the record unbeaten domestic run of his former club Celtic after enjoying a two-week break in California.

McGinn, who played for Northern Ireland during the Euro 2016 finals in France in the summer, was given a fortnight off by his manager Derek McInnes during the winter shutdown this month.

The 29-year-old has shown the benefits of his sunshine break since returning to action for the Pittodrie club – he scored two goals against Stranraer in the William Hill Scottish Cup and netted a brace against Dundee in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Aberdeen take on Celtic, who stretched their hot streak of form to 27 games with a 4-0 win over Hearts at Parkhead on Sunday, in a league game in Glasgow tomorrow evening.

McGinn, who is out of contract in the summer and is mulling over the offer of an extension, believes he can help Aberdeen extend their own winning run to six games.

“I did as much as I could while I was in America,” he said. “I went to San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara. It was good to just get some down time, take my mind off football and just relax a bit. I went to Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and also to a Warriors basketball game.

“So the holiday was great. It’s good to get a break at the right time and put the feet up a bit. I had a solid two weeks doing nothing, just catching up with family and friends.

“I really enjoyed it and it has done me good because I have played a lot of football in the last couple of seasons. I definitely think it has paid off.”

McGinn added: “We know how tough it’s going to be against Celtic because they are flying at the top of the league. But we have to take confidence from the last five games, we’ve kept a few clean sheets.

“We know going there we’ll be put under pressure, but if we play to our capability and take our chances then we can make it a good night. The confidence is there so we’re looking forward to it.”