Gordon quick to see the value of long shot Hayes
IN a season where Celtic have swept all before them, it’s not unfeasible that the vagaries of the PFA Scotland ballot could see outsider Jonny Hayes sneak through for an unlikely victory. The Aberdeen winger was the only non-Celt on the four-man shortlist revealed earlier this week, with title-winners Stuart Armstrong, Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair all having harvested a chunk of the votes cast by their fellow professionals.
With a potential split in the vote for the Celtic contingent, Hayes could emerge as the surprise winner at the awards dinner in Glasgow this evening.
Goalkeeper Craig Gordon is happy to divulge that his own vote went to the Irishman and admits Hayes is frequently identified as a danger in the Celtic dressing room when the country’s top two sides face off.
‘He has had another strong season and deserves to be up there,’ said Gordon. ‘He is a dangerous player and over the past few seasons we have struggled to contain him at times.
‘He gets spoken about in the dressing room because of his pace. Anybody who is quick, you are going to look out for that.
‘He adds a different dynamic to Aberdeen’s game when he is on the ball and you have to be alert to that.
‘I’m sure every manager will be wary of that when they are up against him.’
Prevented from selecting any of his Celtic brethren in the PFA vote, Gordon deliberated over his nomination for the club’s in-house awards before settling on the name of Armstrong.
‘That was probably for a few reasons that aren’t so obvious from the outside,’ he says. ‘At times earlier in the season Stuart wasn’t even on the bench and I thought he did very well to come back from that. ‘He showed strength of character to go away, improve and make sure that, come the end of the season, he was one of the first picks.
‘He is so important to the way we play in midfield.
‘The journey he has been on this season has been enormous and I think he deserved it for coming through that.’
Having himself been left out for a time by manager Brendan Rodgers in favour of Dorus de Vries, it’s no surprise that Gordon should empathise with Armstrong’s pathway to prominence.
It’s also no shock to hear that, even with a mere two-week break between the Scotland v England World Cup qualifier and Celtic’s return to preseason training, he has no desire to avail himself of the rest offered by his manager.
‘I’m quite happy to keep playing,’ he added. ‘I want to play as many games as I possibly can so I certainly won’t be knocking on his door and asking.’
Hayes will again be on Celtic’s radar when Rodgers’ side travel to the north east to face Aberdeen on Premiership business this Friday night.
The 29-year-old scored a spectacular goal to help the Dons secure a 2-1 victory over the champions in February of last year, as Gordon remembers all too well.
‘He has scored a few and at least one past me that I can remember, maybe more,’ smiled the Scotland No 1. ‘He is a dangerous player, he has a goal threat and he can create from deep areas too. If he gets on the ball and gets running you can be in trouble. You have to try to stop him early.’
Although Celtic won this season’s title with plenty of room to spare, Gordon agrees with Dons boss Derek McInnes’ assertion that his team has improved this term.
‘I think they are so consistent and so difficult to beat,’ assessed Gordon. ‘They are organised and play to a very good game plan.
‘When you start from that point of organisation, you have every chance of winning football matches and that’s what they do.
‘It’s not always pretty but they make sure they get the results and play to their strengths. It’s difficult to play against.’