Craig Gordon recalls major Celtic milestone and has say on Old Firm goalkeepers ahead of Viaplay Cup final

You would be ill-advised to tell Craig Gordon that the League Cup is of less significance in the wider context of all domestic honours.

The Hearts goalkeeper, currently fighting his way back from a double leg break, will likely try and watch some of Sunday’s Hampden final between his old club Celtic and Rangers should fatherhood responsibilities and rehab work allow. It is a competition that holds sentimental as well as professional value to the 40-year-old.

His 2015 triumph in the competition with Celtic was a tangible reward for his steadfast refusal to throw in the towel on a career that had been in grave danger of being brought to an untimely end due to a knee injury that kept him out for two years prior to joining the Bhoys in summer 2014.

Replicating that feat in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons was also special as Celtic wrapped up the domestic treble.

Craig Gordon and Georgia Hunter are pictured as Hearts unveil loveholidays as their official holiday parter at Waverley Station. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

“The League Cup was my first winners’ medal with Celtic,” said Gordon. “I have fond memories of the game, beating Dundee United in the final. We had a really good first season and it was my first one back after my knee troubles.

“The adrenaline of coming back and proving people wrong carried me right through that campaign. It was probably to the detriment of the season after that as I had to put so much into the comeback. But that first year was incredible and it was great to win a couple of trophies.

“That final was a big moment in my career. It’s important to everybody. It’s a major trophy and you don’t get many chances to win silverware. Players and fans will celebrate because it’s a big deal. Some people might put more importance on the Scottish Cup with the history or whatever. But it means something when you get your hands on a winners’ medal and there is no better feeling than going up those stairs at Hampden to lift a trophy.”

With Celtic also nine points ahead of their fierce Glasgow rivals at the Premiership summit and with a Scottish Cup quarter-final at Hearts to look forward to next month, the treble is very much on the radar of Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Celtic's Craig Gordon celebrates with the trophy at full time following victory over Dundee United in the 2015 League Cup final.

“You can’t win a Treble without it? That's true,” added Gordon, a five-time League Cup winner. “I managed to win a few of them as well, which was nice. It’s part of Scottish football. You have three trophies to aim for and while sometimes the goal is to try to get one, it’s sometimes the target to win all three.

“It’s difficult to win. You have to win five games or more with the group stages and it’s something you want to have on your CV. It’s a great feeling to win and a horrible feeling to lose in a final. I’ve faced that a few times as well, but more often than not it was happy memories for me. We’ll just see what happens this weekend.”

The battle of the goalkeepers is a subplot that also intrigues Gordon, with Rangers’ Allan McGregor and Celtic shot-stopper Joe Hart set to be at opposite ends of the Hampden pitch.

Gordon added: “Allan’s had an incredible career, a lot of big games and big performances. I would expect him to rise to this one. You need to give great credit to both Joe and Allan for the careers they've had and the number of times they came back and shown what they are worth.”