My painful encounter with Bratislava brought me a smashed face and an earful from the Celtic fans.
It also began the end of my career at the club. This time around it’s Bratislava who could be smashed to spark cheers from the supporters. And it could be the start of an exciting spell of big progression for the club in Europe. Listen, first thing is first. Brendan Rodgers and his players have a job to do against Hearts today.
Making sure the domestic bandwagon starts rolling again immediately after the international break is crucial. Celtic were terrific in the opening block. Hearts, on the other hand, were pretty woeful. But Rodgers and his team got a taste of what Steven Naismith’s men can do on two separate occasions last season and the desperation of the visitors for a result to get their own campaign going is going to make them highly-dangerous opposition in Glasgow’s East End.
Celtic have to make sure there are no slips and take themselves onto the European stage with a real spring in their step. I have to say, I find nothing joyous in the mention of Bratislava.
That 2005 night in Slovakia when we were thrashed 5-0 by Artmedia was a painful one in so many ways. It was 0-0 when I slid in to block a long-range shot.
As I was getting up from the turf, Neil Lennon was running past and smashed his knee into my face. Carted off the hospital, it was confirmed I had suffered a quadruple-fracture of the cheek. Discharged from hospital, I went back to the ground feeling sore, yet not as sore as when I discovered we’d lost five goals.
Leaving the stadium, the boys were getting hounded by angry fans. I thought: I might escape this as my face is in bits and, anyway, it was 0-0 when I went off! Not a bit of it. I got it as bad as
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