LUKE OF THE DRAW

Hoops learn who blocks their path to £40m Euro jackpot as McCowan vows: We'll be good to go... we'd be ready this week if faced with them

- BY RYAN McDONALD

LUKE McCOWAN lived out his Bhoyhood dream on flag day - now he is determined to help fire Celtic back to Europe's elite.

The Hoops diehard came off Brendan Rodgers’ bench on Sunday to sink St Mirren with an 87th-minute winner.

‘And with a favourable playoff draw handing his side a golden chance at Champions League qualification, McCowan is adamant they are ready to rise to the challenge.

Kazakhstani outfit Kairat Almaty or Slovakians Slovan Bratislava will stand between Celts and a place back at Europe’ top table.

It’s a draw Rodgers would have snapped your hand off for after avoiding dangerous ties against Basel and Sturm Graz.

Celtic dismantled Slovan 5-1 in last season's league phase opener, while Almaty’s only Euro adventure was a fourth-placed finish in their 2021-22 Conference League group.

But with £40million on the line, it is still a nerve-racking two-legged shootout with no margin for error.

Rodgers knows his players will need to show a far more ruthless streak than they did against the stuffy Buddies. Luckily, McCowan was there to dig them out of a hole.

And the midfielder insists they will only get stronger. The 27-year-old said: “We're just at the start. You have a good preseason, you work really hard getting your fitness levels high.

“It’s about coming into the game on Sunday and implementing that, letting that carry on throughout the games to come.