Green For Go!

Craig Gordon is looking forward to a busy second half of the season kicking off this weekend, and believes the Hoops will benefit from their winter training camp in Dubai

- Joe Sullivan

THE rapturous ovation that followed Tom Rogic’s stoppage-time winner in the 2017 Scottish Cup final epitomised Brendan Rodgers’ first season in charge at Paradise.

An invincible domestic campaign, and a treble of trophies provided much cause for celebration – the latter of which Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham helped replicate the following year, when two decisive first-half strikes at Hampden secured the Hoops’ extraordinary and unprecedented Double Treble.

Much is made of the great goals that helped forge history throughout that journey, and rightly so, but it’s almost easy to overlook the important role Celtic’s stoppers also play at the opposite end of the pitch in doing so.

No player understands this fact more than Hoops goalkeeper Craig Gordon, whose catalogue of top-class saves over the last few years ensured the Scottish champions conceded just 25 goals during each treble-winning season.

Having spent last week working hard at the squad’s mid-season training camp, Gordon praised the state-of-the-art facilities at the Dubai base, and stressed the importance of taking time-out with family over the New Year break, before stepping things up in a training regime that reflects the intensity of pre-season and ensures Brendan Rodgers’ men stay on top of their game.

“Dubai was really good, the facilities over there are unbelievable, they’re the best you can get,” said Gordon in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “It’s a fantastic place to go and train at, and try to improve on what we’ve been doing.

“We had some hard sessions, but they were all really enjoyable. After the first couple of days, we really upped the tempo, and the work got progressively harder as the week went on.