SCOURGE OF THE SCOTS
Red Imp Casciaro aims to cause more anguish
IF he were 10 years younger, Lee Casciaro’s knack of rumbling up Scottish opposition might have put him in the frame for a career-enhancing transfer.
Instead, the 34-year-old admits he is pushing thoughts of what might have been out of his head in an effort to savour this very late flourishing of his career in the wake of Gibraltar’s admission to the UEFA fold three years ago.
Casciaro’s match-winning goal for Lincoln Red Imps has put Brendan Rodgers in an embarrassing, if not perilous, position going into the second leg of their Champions League qualifier in midweek — and there were certainly red faces at Hampden last March as Casciaro bestowed indignity on Gordon Strachan’s national team as they conceded Gibraltar’s first-ever competitive goal in a Euro 2016 qualifier.
Casciaro would love to have been operating on such stages in his youth and, given the sharpness shown by the striker in both instances, it is not hard to imagine a few SPFL managers at least picking up the phone to enquire after his availability.
Roy Chipolina, a fellow international and captain of the Imps, argues that the twenty-something Casciaro could comfortably have scored goals in the lower tiers of English football and reasons that, once there, he might well have risen higher.
‘Lee is our best player,’ Chipolina told Sportsmail last year. ‘It’s a shame we didn’t get into UEFA when he was 20 years old as he would probably have been tapped up. It’s only a lack of opportunity that stopped him.’
Casciaro insists there is simply no point in beating himself up over the issue. He openly admits that he harboured depressive thoughts during a lay-off with a cruciate knee injury back in 2013 but resolved to not only come back but savour every drop of what remained of his career.
His strike at Hampden, where he scampered in behind Ikechi Anya to slot a classy, low finish behind David Marshall, earned him headlines but he felt little more than a gallant loser at the conclusion of a 6-1 defeat. Much sweeter was Wednesday’s winning moment. Convinced he had the legs on Erik Sviatchenko and Efe Ambrose prior to the Champions League qualifier, he was on his toes to take advantage of the latter’s lapse before using a combination of strength and skill to set himself for a bobbled finish past Craig Gordon.
He said: ‘People say to me if I was 10 years younger this would be a better time for me, but it just wasn’t to be. Look, I can’t complain.
‘I have friends of the same age and slightly older, talented guys who never had the opportunities that have come to me in the last couple of years.
‘Maybe it is too late to go and forge a career somewhere else but that’s all the more reason to savour every moment.
‘That’s why you’ll see me run my heart out and, if I do score, I like to celebrate as much as I can. I’m collecting every souvenir I can, buying every newspaper and doing all the media that I’m asked.
‘I don’t want to miss out on any of this. Scoring against Scotland was special but we lost that day. My goal against Celtic will always be more important because it meant we won the match.’
Lincoln, champions of Gibraltar for 14 consecutive seasons, habitually play on the front foot but a different style is called for in European matches.
Just as the counter-attacking style worked a treat against Estonians Flora Tallinn in the first qualifying round, so Celtic were undone by their susceptibility on the break at the Victoria Stadium.
‘We’ll probably look to play the same formation in Glasgow,’ continued Casciaro. ‘Celtic hit the bar twice on Tuesday but they didn’t create so many more chances than us.
‘It’s up to the coach but I’d imagine we’ll look to counter-attack and that suits me just fine. I like these sorts of games. I’m used to playing in a team that dominates and spends the game attacking the opposition, but playing these games away from home allows me to run the channels, use my pace and look for openings.
‘It’s what I’m best at. I’ve already used that to my advantage against Scotland. I’m 34 now but I’m still quick.’
There are those who have declared last Tuesday’s defeat as the worst
result in Celtic’s history, but the 1-0 reverse won’t linger too long in the memory if Rodgers’ side come out and chalk up a handsome aggregate victory in Wednesday’s second leg.
Casciaro has some sympathy for the Scottish champions. ‘I don’t go along with those who say it was such a bad result for Celtic. This is a 180-minute tie and it’s only half-time. They will expect to win at Celtic Park and nobody can argue that they are still big favourites.
‘Yes, they will have been disappointe to lose the first leg but the pitch, th heat, these are not excuses. They ar big factors in why we got the result.
‘We all spoke about it in detail befor the match. Celtic were not going t enjoy playing in that heat. And the are used to playing on grass, so th surface was something we wanted t exploit. Our pitch is not the best but w know how to use it to our advantage.
‘After 10 minutes, I could tell the
Scoring against Scotland was special but my goal against Celtic was more important because we won
were not on their game and that they were going to struggle.’
It was over a leisurely lunch at Gibraltar’s chic Marina Bay that Sportsmail first encountered Casciaro last year. Enthusiastic and affable company, he made his excuses after coffee in order to indulge in his preparations for the Premier Division match that he was to take part in that night.
Casciaro duly scored in a comprehensive 4-0 victory for the Imps and, once he had showered and changed, he reported for a 12-hour overnight shift with the Ministry of Defence police force.
The snapshot illustrates how far removed the lives of these largely part-time players are from Celtic’s handsomely remunerated stars and, just a year-and-a-half on, they are also facing up to an uncertain future.
Without the financial security that a career in professional football might have granted him, Casciaro admits he has been contemplating the consequences of the UK’s referendum vote to leave the European Union — a decision that will have arguably its most tangible effect in the tiny territory of just over 30,000 people.
‘I think we are still trying to take it all in,’ he continued. ‘Ninety six per cent of us voted to remain. The EU is very important to us. We share a lot with Spain — we cross the border to eat, drink, shop and holiday. Maybe all these things are going to change.
‘Personally, the result might actually help me as Great Britain will now surely have to invest in their defence here. But I would say the majority of people are apprehensive.’
Defence may provide Casciaro’s livelihood, but it is his attacking instincts that Celtic must again beware this midweek.