Treble Yell

Kieran Tierney returns to Hampden this Saturday and he hopes to be celebrating again – although slightly less painfully this time

A NEW image was added to the reel of iconic moments in Celtic history on May 27, 2017. On the top of the Hampden steps, with his face still badly swollen and bearing the wounds of a sickening blow to the face, Kieran Tierney held the Scottish Cup aloft in one hand, grabbed the Celtic badge with the other and let out an almighty roar of delight and defiance.

Around 90 minutes earlier, he had lain crestfallen on the turf, blood pouring from his month, after being struck in the face by Aberdeen forward Jayden Stockley. With only 27 minutes on the clock, he feared his Scottish Cup dream was over, but nothing, not even a dreadful facial injury, was going to stop the boyhood Hoops fan from being there as the prizes were handed out.

As the Bhoys and Aberdeen fought out a pulsating final, Tierney was operated on in hospital, before rushing back to Hampden loaded up on painkillers. As he neared the ground, Tom Rogic scored the last-gasp winner for Brendan Rodgers’ side to make history as the treble invincible dream became reality.

Tierney was not going to miss that. In a story that will go down in Celtic folklore, he jumped out of a taxi and sprinted into the stadium - still in his full kit – past the departing Dons fans, just in time for the end of trophy presentation. As he lifted the trophy, despair and disappointment were transformed in an instant into uncontrollable joy and pride. Tears almost followed. It summed up his complete commitment to the Celtic cause.

A smile spreads across the Scotland internationalist’s face as he recalls this episode. Despite what happened to him on the pitch, it was one of the greatest days in his life. He will never forget it.