FORREST CAN BEAT McNEILL LANDMARK, SAYS BROWN

SCOTT BROWN isn’t sure he will ever match Billy McNeill’s tally of 22 domestic trophy wins — but he has backed team-mate James Forrest to surpass the legendary Lisbon Lion.

Yesterday’s Scottish Cup victory took the Celtic skipper to 16 domestic honours in the 11 seasons since he joined the club from Hibs and he insists he is hungry for more medals.

A month away from turning 33, the sands of time may eventually beat the midfielder, but Forrest looks better set.

Still a few weeks short of his 27th birthday, the winger has enjoyed his best season in a Celtic jersey and has spoken of his desire to see out his career as a one-club man.

As the forceful leader of Brendan Rodgers’ double Treble-winning team, Brown is an obvious reference point for seeking comparisons with the club’s European Cup-winning era.

But he sees Forrest as the man to take on McNeill’s tally and perhaps even rival Bobby Lennox’s tally of 25.

‘People talk about me but look at James Forrest,’ said Brown. ‘He’s won a lot of trophies and he has many more years ahead of him than I have.

‘He’ll go on and break records and he could go past that 22 of Billy McNeill’s. Could I do that? We’ll see how next year goes.

‘It’s different times. Football has changed, the type of professionalism, the amount of games we play. To be compared to them (McNeill and Lennox) is brilliant but they’re legends.’

Comparisons with Celtic icons of the past are appropriate on today of all days as Brown rounds off his testimonial year with a match between Celtic and a Republic of Ireland XI.

After the game, he will go on holiday before returning for a fresh campaign.

‘There’s a lot more in the tank yet, so I’ll see how many more trophies I can get,’ he added. ‘I fancy two or three seasons. Four is a big push but I’ll keep going.

‘We’ve been creating history with this team and under this manager but we start again next season. The qualifiers will be here soon and we must make sure we get Champions League football again.’