Testimonial Is Testament To Broony's Quality

Jackie McNamara enjoyed a testimonial against the Republic of Ireland, and he believes the current Celtic skipper will enjoy a special day at Paradise when his game comes around in May.

- Tony Connelly

NEXT month Scott Brown will join a select group of Celtic players when the Republic of Ireland come to Paradise for a testimonial match.

A decade in the Hoops is a rare feat – Scott Brown is now almost 11 years at the club – and as one fellow testimonial recipient explained, the magnitude of the achievement will take time to sink in for the highly-regarded Celtic captain.

The last Celtic player to be honoured with a testimonial was Jackie McNamara who, like Brown, played against the Republic of Ireland. That was back on May 29, 2005 and the Hoops came into the game, having won the Scottish Cup only 24 hours beforehand when they defeated Dundee United 1-0 at Hampden.

On May 20 this year, Martin O’Neill will return to Celtic Park for another testimonial, but this time the Irishman will lead his Republic of Ireland XI against Celtic, as opposed to the other way round, as it was in 2005.

McNamara said the occasion will make for a memorable day and will be one which Celtic fans, as well as the player himself, will enjoy reflecting on later in life.

“It’ll be a special atmosphere,” said the former Hoops captain in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “It was a massive thing to get Ireland to come and play in my own testimonial. Celtic have a fantastic backing in Ireland and a lot of the Irish national team, as they were with my testimonial, will likely be Celtic fans themselves so there’s a real affinity there.