Ledley: Dons win can be prequel to Ibrox glory

Thursday 3 February 2011

Ledley: Dons win can be prequel to Ibrox glory

Joe Ledley reckons Celtic’s away win over Aberdeen on Tuesday night was the perfect way to warm-up for their Scottish Cup showdown with Rangers on Sunday.

Ledley helped ensure Neil Lennon’s side defeated Craig Brown’s team for the third time in a fortnight at Pittodrie, in a rescheduled SPL clash earlier this week.

The emphatic 3-0 triumph up in the Granite City stretched the Hoops’unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 games and put them eight points ahead of the Gers in the league table. And the Welsh midfielder feels, despite their injury problems at the back, Celtic are in fantastic shape for their massive clash against their Old Firm rivals. Ledley said: “Tuesday night was my first experience of playing up at Pittodrie against Aberdeen along with a lot of the other new boys. So to pick up another three points was pleasing. “They were out for revenge after the weekend (when Celtic beat them 4-1 in the Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final) and we knew they would come at us. “Obviously, losing a player early on was difficult for them. But getting a result against Aberdeen at Pittodrie is good whatever the circumstances.” Ledley has experienced the Old Firm game twice now – at Parkhead in October and at Ibrox last month – and knows that Celtic will, as ever, be in for a difficult afternoon at the home of their city rivals. But the 24-year-old, who set up Georgios Samaras for the first of his two goals last time around, feels the experience of winning at the home of their rivals’ ground will be invaluable. He explained: “It is good going to a difficult stadium where everyone wants you to lose. It is down to the players to prove a point and we did that. “It is also very important for us to go into the Scottish Cup game at Ibrox on a high after beating Aberdeen. “Hopefully, the run will keep going in the Rangers game and beyond. We will certainly go into it believing that we can get a result and progress in the competition “To play in finals is one of the reasons you come to a club like Celtic. It is great to be in the Co-op Cup final. Now we want to get to another final. We are playing well at the moment and we want to keep that going.” Ledley has played in central midfield for Celtic alongside Beram Kayal in their last three games as Scott Brown has been moved out to the right wing. And the Welshman has enjoyed being part of a new-look boiler room, believing it to be highly effective. He said: “Browny has done well on the right wing and the manager has done well picking the team. For me, it is great to be back in the team and performing well. “We have some great players and no matter who comes in and out, there is going to be quality in the team. “There is a lot for me to work with now certainly. The front two, Gary Hooper and Anthony Stokes, have been brilliant. It is down to the midfielders to get composed on the ball and find them.”

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on Evening Times on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.