CASCIARO DREAMS OF REPEATING THE TRICK

HAVING already claimed one indelible piece of Gibraltarian football history at Hampden, Lee Casciaro is now dreaming of a repeat further east within Glasgow’s city boundaries.

The 34-year-old’s goal against Scotland at the national stadium in March of last year was the first ever netted in a UEFA-sanctioned competitive fixture by the British overseas territory.

Casciaro thought nothing could ever trump that surge of emotion, as he briefly drew Gibraltar level in what would eventually prove a 6-1 defeat. Scoring against Celtic in the Champions League qualifiers would, however, surely come close.

For that to be a possibility, the striker and his club colleagues at Lincoln Red Imps — the champions of Gibraltar — must overcome Flora Tallinn of Estonia in the first qualifying round.

The part-timers are the outsiders for that tie but can draw confidence from the appointment of coach Julio Cesar Ribas, who lists a spell in charge of Uruguayan force Penarol on his CV.

Not that any great team-talk will be required. Casciaro admits the chance to face Celtic provides the ultimate motivation.

The Parkhead club will be away to their eventual opponents in the first leg on July 12 or 13 — Brendan Rodgers’ competitive debut — with the return in Glasgow a week later.

‘I’m very excited about it after scoring in Scotland,’ Casciaro told Sportsmail. ‘The chance to go back to Glasgow and play against the champions would be very special.

‘We are all really psyched up for it. I’ve got mates who have already been on the phone saying they might come over to Glasgow. I’m telling them: “Look, don’t do anything until we get past the first round”. We have to focus on Tallinn first.

‘But it would be a dream come true to play at Celtic Park. Everyone has seen and heard the Celtic fans singing You’ll Never Walk Alone and every player wants to play there because of the atmosphere.

‘These are the kind of occasions I have dreamed about playing in my whole life. Now that Gibraltar is part of UEFA, it has become possible. Playing in the Champions League against a big side like Celtic, with all the history they have, would be fantastic for all of us.

‘I have been playing with Lincoln since I was eight years old and now I am 34. That has been 26 years with the same club. If we could play Celtic in Glasgow, then it would be the biggest game of all that time.

‘When I scored at Hampden, it was unbelievable. It was a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.

‘But looking back now, we still made too many silly mistakes against Scotland. We gave away two penalties.

‘The backbone of the national side plays for Lincoln and then we have a few from abroad who help. So, I would say, we are more solid than the national team right now.’

That was given credence by a credible display against Danish champions FC Midtjylland in last season’s second qualifying round. It was also a tie that gave Casciaro — whose day job is as Ministry of Defence policeman — a close-up look at a player he hopes to meet again next month.

‘I also played against Erik Sviatchenko when he was the captain of Midtjylland,’ he added.

‘He was clearly a very good centre-half. He didn’t lose his concentration or give away the ball.

‘We gave a good account of ourselves in that tie — losing 1-0 away and 2-0 at home. It was a great experience for us because we became the first ever team from Gibraltar to win a match in the Champions League when we won in the round before (against Santa Coloma of Andorra).

‘Now we know that if we get through the first round again we have Celtic. It’s a huge motivation for us as they are so prestigious.’