Brendan Rodgers blows Celtic fans away as he names exact date he first watched Hoops as a kid

Brendan Rodgers revealed how he told his players to inspire the Irish public in their friendly against Sligo Rovers – because he STILL remembers watching Celtic for the first time as a starry-eyed kid in a similar bounce game.

Rodgers watched his side win 3-2 in the mid-season friendly against the League of Ireland outfit thanks to a Luis Palma hat-trick. The match was played in front of a sell-out Showgrounds with locals desperate to catch a glimpse of the Scottish Premiership champions and last season’s double winners.

The international break afforded the Hoops the chance to take the team across the Irish Sea where there is a huge Celtic following but many don’t get the opportunity to see their heroes in the flesh. And Rodgers, speaking to Celtic TV before the game, said: “I said to the players, it gives you an opportunity to inspire. Because I remember 18th of May, I think it was, 1983 when I was 10 I went to watch Finn Harps vs Celtic and 41 years later I still remember that.”

The game Rodgers refers to was an end of season friendly played at Baleybofey in County Donegal with Rodgers one of a sell-out 10,000 crowd who squeezed into Finn Park.

It’s notable for being Charlie Nicholas’ last game in a Celtic shirt before he moved to Arsenal, the striker having netted 48 goals in all competitions in a season where they missed out on the title to Dundee United. Nicholas was on target along with Frank McGarvey, Murdo MacLeod and George McCluskey.

Celtic fans were impressed, one saying: “Celtic in Sligo and Brendan Rodgers recalling the exact date 41 years ago that he saw Finn Harps play Celtic.” Another simply said: “Amazing.”