Jamie: Celtic are missing hands of Gord
Jamie MacDonald has backed Craig Gordon to show Celtic what they are missing today.
The Raith Rovers keeper was shocked when the Hoops let his old Hearts pal go in the summer.
And he’s confident the man he was understudy to at Tynecastle can be the difference at Hampden today and help Hearts lift the Scottish Cup, just like MacDonald did in 2012.
Gordon has been in excellent form since turning down vastly reduced terms at Celtic to return to Tynecastle, while £5million Greek keeper Vasilis Barkas has failed to impress at Parkhead.
MacDonald believes Gordon will prove his class by getting his hands on the trophy today.
He said: “I’ve known Craig since I was about 14 and was very fortunate to have worked with him when I was younger. I still speak to him regularly and I’m good friends with him. We did a little bit of training during lockdown.
“He’s outstanding, he’s had a great career and with his mentality he’s such a big player and a winner, always has been.
“Even with his comeback from injury, he was essentially a couple of months away from having to retire and he came back to have a great career at Celtic.
“This is a great chance for him to show them what they are missing. I was very surprised they didn’t take up the chance to keep him on, he’s still one of the top keepers in the country and a big-game player.
“He makes matchwinning saves – the one from Kevin Nisbet in the semi was unreal.”
MacDonald also believes the pain of being controversially relegated as a result of last season’s curtailed Premiership season could help drive Hearts to victory today.
The former Falkirk and Kilmarnock player recalled how the 2012 Cup-winning team were brought closer together by the financial turmoil at Hearts under then owner Vladimir Romanov.
MacDonald added: “As players you almost get a siege mentality when things are going against you.
“For us it was all internal matters and as a group of players it definitely brings you closer together because we were all singing from the same hymn sheet.
“We were all going through a tough time but it gives you that siege mentality and that was a fantastic group.
“I would imagine that this team are in the same boat with what happened in the summer. With the league being shut down and then being voted down, they will have that siege mentality.”
Craig is outstanding and this is a great chance for him to show Celtic what they are missing.