Celtic couldn’t beat our nine men— so we fancy our chances in the Final
DUNDEE UNITED midfielder Calum Butcher last night insisted that 10-man Celtic’s f ailure to beat the nine-man Tannadice side leaves his team with a crucial mental advantage ahead of next weekend’s League Cup Fi nal at Hampden.
Despite Jackie McNamara’s outfit being two men down for the best part of the second half — following the dismissals of Paul Paton and Paul Dixon — Celtic were unable to secure the win their dominance deserved against a team who had suffered three defeats and a draw in their last four games.
As United chase their first League Cup Final triumph since 1980, Butcher believes that McNamara’s squad are now firmly over their recent mini form slump.
The 24-year-old Englishman even passed up a decent second-half chance to win the game during a rare break by the depleted home side.
But Butcher, who escaped a red card after the match officials incredibly appeared to mistake him for Paton after a first-half melee, is now adamant that United can approach next weekend’s game — their second of f our against the Scottish champions this month — full of confidence after yesterday’s psychologically i mportant 1- 1 Scottish Cup quarter-final draw.
‘This is the first time I will have played four games against the same team in a month but I think that mentally we’ve got one over Celtic. Definitely,’ said the former Spurs youth player.
‘Do we fancy our chances now i n the Final? One hundred per cent, yes! We had nine men today and we were disappointed not to win the game.
‘I had a chance in the second half but I was really tired after all that running around. It came on to my left foot and I tried to put my boot around it but I was just so tired I took a swing at it and it didn’t go in.
‘ It was really positive for us because we had nine men for such a long time and we worked our socks off and showed our character. With 11 men on the park, we can definitely beat them next week.
‘Red cards change a game but we worked ever so hard and we showed that we are a team. Rest assured we will be going into the Final full of confidence.’
Whether Butcher is eligible to play in the Hampden showpiece is another matter, however.
Referee Craig Thomson sent off Hoops defender Virgil van Dijk and United midfielder Paton after only nine minutes.
But it l ooked l i ke a case of mistaken identity with regards to the home player, as it had been Butcher who had tangled with the Dutchman on the ground.
Celtic skipper Scott Brown appeared to have sparked the melee with a wild-looking lunge on United striker Nadir Ciftci, who retaliated by aiming his boot towards Brown’s head.
Ciftci, in fact, was only playing after winning his appeal against a two-game suspension following his cl ash with I nverness Caley defender Gary Warren last month.
Butcher, for his part, claimed that he was left with stud marks on his leg by van Dijk, who also looked aghast as he was ordered off in the first-half flashpoint.
Although United boss McNamara indicated the Tannadice club are set to appeal the Paton red card, Butcher insisted he does not fear retrospective disciplinary action from SFA compliance officer Tony McGlennan.
‘No, not at all, I’m not worried,’ he said with a shrug. ‘I haven’t even seen the incident again yet. But I think if the first challenge (by Brown on Ciftci) is dealt with, then the whole incident doesn’t turn out like it did.
‘I thought that my challenge was fine. But I was left with a few marks on my leg. Was the ball there to be won? I really can’t remember!
‘I’m just heartbroken for Paul Paton because he is a big part of our team, so it was disappointing that he got sent off. He just came over to calm things down.
‘But the club are thinking about appealing that decision — and I think they definitely should.’
Butcher also defended his team- mate Aidan Connolly, after the 19-year-old striker was accused of being a diver by Celtic manager Ronny Deila.
Connolly’s tumble in the box, under the attentions of Anthony Stokes, allowed Ciftci to score from the spot to put United into the lead.
‘I was actually quite far away from the incident involving Aidan,’ added Butcher. ‘I think I was back on the halfway line at the time. But Aidan is not a diver, so I don’t know why the Celtic manager would say that.
‘Overall, though, it was a good day for us because we defended really well and there was a lot for us to be happy about. I honestly believe we deserved to win over the 90 minutes.’
United’s Dixon was also sent off when he used his hand to block a shot by Leigh Griffiths.
Griffiths took the penalty but saw his shot expertly saved by United goalkeeper Radoslaw Cierzniak.
The Celtic striker was later to atone for that miss, however, when the Parkhead side’s relentless pressure paid off and he headed home Stefan Johansen’s cross to take the game to a replay on March 18 in the east end of Glasgow.