Joe Ledley braced for mixed reception on return to Cardiff

Joe Ledley says he will be interested to see how Cardiff fans react to him when he returns to the Welsh capital with Celtic for their friendly match tomorrow evening.

The 24-year-old midfielder came through the ranks with his hometown club and helped them to an FA Cup final appearance before joining the Glasgow side last year.

Celtic were the guests when the Cardiff City Stadium opened in 2009 - a 0-0 draw - and 12 months before that Cardiff beat Celtic 1-0 to win the Algarve Cup, with Ledley ironically scoring the only goal of the game against his future club.

Ledley is looking forward to returning to his old stomping ground with another former Bluebirds player, Adam Matthews, who joined Celtic this summer, but he is bracing himself for a mixed reception from the City fans.

"For me it's big and it's going to be the same for Adam," the Wales international told Celtic's official website.

"I never thought I would have the opportunity to play against Cardiff so it's going to be a great honour for me and my family and they will be there as well.

"I have played there before with Wales but it's going to be a bit different against Cardiff.

"It will be great to play against them and it will be interesting to see what kind of reaction I will get from the crowd.

"I haven't got a clue what it will be like but hopefully I will be cheered for what I did for the club and achieved there, but you never know and some fans might boo me.

"I enjoyed my time but just felt it was the right time to move on.

"As long as we go there and get the win I will be happy."

Despite the possibility of taking stick from supporters who once regarded him a hero, Ledley will always remain a Cardiff fan.

"I have a lot of friends and family in Cardiff who supported me," he said. "I was really friendly with the people at the club and obviously I wanted them to do well and get promoted but it just didn't happen.

"I keep in touch with Mark Hudson, Stephen McPhail, and Peter Whittingham - who I saw on holiday - and some of the staff too.

"They will always be good friends of mine and I am looking forward to playing against them."

Meanwhile, Craig Conway admits he is relishing the prospect of making his Cardiff City home debut against Celtic following his summer switch from Dundee United.

The midfielder, who was also a target for Rangers during the close-season, said: "I've only been to the stadium a couple of times but it looks really good and I can't wait to play there.

"I've played against Celtic a few times and they're a top team so I'm looking forward to it.

"Everything's new to me down here but I've always wanted to play in the English league. Obviously Celtic and Rangers get more fans in Scotland but I think the Championship will be a step-up."