Key events
32 mins: Caley get into the Celtic half and the ball ends up back with Ridgers.
30 mins: Taylor hits the referee with a pass! It turns out Caley are playing with 12 men behind the ball. What larks.
Caley goalkeeper Ridgers has not actually made a save yet.
28 mins: Maeda sends in a cross that is deflected, causing some mild panic in the box but Caley react first and ping the ball upfield. Obviously, it comes straight back.
26 mins: The official stats claim Celtic have enjoyed three quarters of the possession but it feels a lot more.
Joe Hart must be stood on the edge of his box thinking about what he is going to do on his summer holiday. Will he have an Aperol spritz? Should he book the French place with a nice view?
24 mins: Jota backheels the ball to Hatete in the box but the Celtic man slips and cannot get a shot away. On the upside, it is a sign of intent.
“At least Mary Waltz can console herself American league and players are feeders to bigger clubs and leagues,” says Yash Gupta. “You can still enjoy their progress. Try imagining them players managers going to a rival that you passionately hate. For many reasons I think a move for Postecoglou makes sense and is the best candidate even if one of Poch, Slot and Nagelsmann are not coming. His appointment makes sense above all those even though Spurs are in this situation because Slot rejected them. Good to see Hart doing well. Sometimes a change in scenery is all you need and he found it finally at Celtic after several disappointments following Man City departure.”
22 mins: Despite having all the possession, Celtic cannot find the final pass. They are looking slightly pedestrian against the low block of Caley.
20 mins: O’Riley has a half chance in the box but can only hit the ball into the ground on the slide, sending it bouncing well over the bar.
I think this is the first time I have been compared to Martin Amis.
@Will_Unwin “If I do not say anything for a while, just assume that Celtic are in possession”
Didn’t the late Martin Amis have a line in Money to the effect of “assume I am smoking unless I explicitly say otherwise”?
— The Justin Horton Show (@ejhchess) June 3, 2023
18 mins: Caley’s concept is very much to desperately try to hold out and nick one by hook or by crook. I can’t see it working.
16 mins: A Celtic free-kick is lifted into the box but Caley hold firm and pummel the ball away but it just comes straight back.
14 mins: If I do not say anything for a while, just assume that Celtic are in possession. It is understandably one-sided at the moment.
12 mins: Celtic are starting to click and their movement is starting to cause problems for the Caley defence. I am not sure Caley have made it out of their own half yet.
I say that and then a long ball is played over the top for Henderson to chase but Hart is out quickly and removes the danger.
10 mins: “Morning greetings Will,” emails Mary Waltz. “Celtic will win, the only question is how much they have to struggle. On the future of Ange. One must embrace the realities of being a feeder league. Not that it happens all that often but being a fan of American football (soccer) comes with the knowledge that when an exceptional player or manager is developed on this side of the pond he will be leaving sooner rather than later. We lose our best and brightest to Europe and that is just stark reality. Same situation for the Scots.”
8 mins: Caley are just about keeping Celtic at arm’s length currently. They look well-organised but it will be a tiring evening in the sunshine because Celtic are enjoying all the possession.
6 mins: Whenever Celtic missplace a pace, there is a huge cheer from the Caley fans. I think it is indication of how difficult they are expecting the match to be.
4 mins: The Jota mullet is absolutely magnificent. He looks like he could have been playing for Celtic in the late 1980s with that mane.
2 mins: It’s an electric atmosphere inside Hampden.
Celtic look lively already and very much in the mood to ensure they do not suffer an upset.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Here come the teams …
“Hi Will,” emails Simon McMahon. “Today reminds me of 15 May 2010, the day Dundee United claimed their second Scottish Cup against Ross County, then in the Scottish Championship. Unusually for United, given our record in cup finals, we just knew we’d win. As, I’m pretty sure, did the County fans. I think even the most optimistic ICT fan would concede that they probably have two chances of winning, slim and none, and slim just left town. But you never know, I suppose. Except when you do.”
You never know … (we definitely know)
Needless to say, the Celtic fans massively outnumber the Caley fans but it looks like a cracking atmosphere.
Ange Postecoglou: “The club has had a lot of success recently, including trebles. We can add to that and that’s what I will try to do.”
He refuses to discuss his future.
“Anytime you are here at Hampden, it is always a special occasion. Cup final is a special day and I am glad to be a part of it.”
Billy Dodds: “I don’t want to come here and camp on the 18-yard box.”
Good luck with that, Caley.
Caley’s last match of the league season was a home defeat to Ayr on May 5. Will they be undercooked for today?
BBC are obviously showing the Caley win from 2000. They might need a bit more of that spirit today, not to mention another utterly atrocious Celtic performance.
Ange Postecoglou savours the moment.
A lovely journey.
It is even more impressive that Caley have made it to the final considering they lost to Queen’s Park in the fourth round, only for their opponents to be booted out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player.
Get in the mood for the match with Ewan Murray on Big Ange.
Starting lineups
Celtic: Hart, Johnston, Starfelt, Iwata, Taylor, McGregor, Hatate, O’Riley, Jota, Kyogo, Maeda
Subs: Siegrist, Haksanabovic, Abada, Turnbull, Oh, Bernabei, Forrest, Ralston, Welsh.
ICT: Ridgers, Duffy, Harper, Welsh, Deas, Devine, Carson, McKay, Allardice, Henderson, Shaw
Subs: C Mackay, Doran, MacGregor, Hyde, D Mackay, Delaney, Samuels, Woods, Boyd
Welcome
This could be another momentous afternoon for Celtic with a domestic treble being dangled in front of their faces. They start the day as heavy favourites to win the Scottish Cup to add to their collection alongside the Premiership and League Cup trophies.
It could, however, be Ange Postecoglou’s final game in charge of the Glasgow club, with Spurs very interested in making him Antonio Conte’s permanent replacement. The Australian has enjoyed pretty much constant success in Scotland and will have deserved his move to the Premier League.
Inverness finished sixth in the Scottish Championship, so the fact they are in the final is pretty miraculous in itself but few give them any chance whatsoever today. Stranger things have happened in football as 8 February 2000 will testify. It was the night they went ballistic at Parkhead. They also have a former Rangers player in the dugout in the form of Billy Dodds, so he will be mighty eager to get one over on Celtic.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 5.30pm BST
