The Sunday Post (Dundee)

BIG INTERVIEW ExclusIVE

- By Danny Stewart sport@sundaypost.com

WHILE Rangers have teetered on meltdown, Celtic’s relentless domestic domination has continued.

The Hoops’ stunning form this season has had opposition clubs scratching their heads for a way to lower their colours.

Yet while bookmakers brace themselves to make huge payouts on Brendan Rodgers’ side becoming Scotland’s Invincible­s, the player with the country’s best record against them insists they can be beaten.

And Paul Quinn should know. He has managed the trick with THREE different Scottish clubs.

The Ross County skipper scored for the Staggies in their celebrated League Cup semi-final triumph in January, 2016.

Four months before that, he netted the winner for Aberdeen in a Premiershi­p fixture to send Pittodrie into raptures.

Throw in his Celtic Park win with Motherwell in 2008, plus a handful of draws against them in his time playing in claret and amber, and all evidence points to him being the man holding the magic formula. and I think we could be at the stage where they are starting to buy into the idea that Celtic can’t be beaten.

“It feels like they are almost waiting to get hauled back into the match.”

Which, Quinn argues, is the complete opposite of the approach required.

“No Scottish team can live with them over the course of the season, there is no question about that,” he said.

“However, this is football, and in a one-off game we know that anything can happen.

“All the clubs trying to upset the odds against Celtic just now need to remember that.

“Our win against them in the League Cup semi-final was the perfect example of what I am talking about.

“Going into the match, I am not sure anyone would have given us much hope of winning. Celtic were overwhelmi­ng favourites.

“Celtic went one up almost immediatel­y (ironically through a Highlander, Gary Mackay-Steven) and I am sure would have thought that was them on the way to booking a place in the Final.

“Then Efe Ambrose gives away a penalty, taking down Alex Schalk and gets himself sent off in the process.

“So, just like that, we get handed a brilliant chance to equalise and a man advantage into the bargain.

“We take it and it is an entirely different game.

“I managed to score a second for us with a header just after the break, then Alex wrapped it up with a third when Celtic gave us extra space pushing for an equaliser.

“That got us through to the Final and the rest is history.” Quite. The result was a repeat of County’s victory over the Hoops in the Scottish Cup semi-final in 2010.

Where on that occasion they went on to lose to Dundee United in the showpiece, this time they followed up by beating Hibs to claim the club’s first-ever major trophy.

“To win the League Cup with a

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