O’Halloran so happy to get a new angle on Old Firm derby
MICHAEL O’HALLORAN’S first set of Old Firm hostilities as a Rangers player will largely be played out over the family dinner table.
Ineligible to play in next month’s Scottish Cup semi-final thanks to his prior involvement in the tournament with St Johnstone, the forward will be seated in Hampden’s main stand among his new club’s official party.
A few yards away will be his father Michael, who will form part of the Celtic delegation. An Under-17s coach at the Parkhead club’s Lennoxtown training base, O’Halloran Snr has been fully supportive of his son’s January transfer to Ibrox and was there to celebrate his son’s first Rangers goal at Alloa in February.
Yet, when push comes to shove, the dividing lines are clear and, having experienced similar throughout his time at Saints, O’Halloran Jnr is perfectly comfortable with being on the opposite side of the argument.
‘My dad always wants me to do well but I’ve come up against him before and he wants Celtic to win, which is fine,’ he smiled. ‘I kind of expected this draw, to be honest. Obviously I was gutted but I can’t do anything about being cup-tied.
‘It can be frustrating but I watched the Dundee game and the lads were terrific. I’ll be there to support the lads in the semi-final and I’ll be a fan for the day. I’m sure my dad will be there, too, but I won’t be sitting with him. It will be interesting in the house that day.’
O’Halloran kicked off his career in the Celtic youth ranks before moving to Bolton Wanderers as a 16-yearold. Although he progressed to the Bolton first-team squad, his playing time was extremely limited and he returned to Scotland in 2014 and subsequently flourished under Tommy Wright at McDiarmid Park.
A strong first half of the season saw the 25-year-old pick up a Ladbrokes Player of the Month award and also score as the Perth club knocked Rangers out of the League Cup.
Unsurprisingly, his man-of-the-match performance that night caught the eye of Rangers boss Mark Warburton, with Swansea City and, indeed, Celtic also credited with an interest.
Although his transfer to Glasgow became a drawn-out affair, the player himself had no hesitation in agreeing to the switch.
And he insists he had no concerns over ‘crossing the divide’ and casting aside his past allegiances.
‘That wasn’t a concern at all,’ he said. ‘It didn’t bother me and it’s been great so far. I did play against Rangers as a youth player and a couple of the boys — like Danny Wilson — are in the dressing room here now.
‘Every game means a lot to you as a kid but obviously the Old Firm is such a big game for the fans. I enjoyed myself in the youth ranks at Celtic and they helped me develop as a young player.
‘I look back and it was good for me, although I was never actually coached by my dad.
‘But I’m at Rangers now and hopefully I can get a crack at a few proper Old Firm games next season. It could be at least four games and I’ll look forward to that, but we need to get there first.’
Assuming Rangers do clinch the Championship title, there will not only be a full quota of Glasgow derbies but also a big question as to whether Warburton’s team are capable of mounting an instant challenge for the title.
O’Halloran has no doubts on that score. ‘Rangers are more than equipped to perform well in the Premiership,’ he continued. ‘There are some top players here, including some who have played in the top flight before and know what it’s about.
‘Since I’ve arrived the team has shown against both Dundee and Kilmarnock that we’re more than capable of stepping up.’