David Marshall wrote his name into Celtic folklore as an 19-year-old when he repelled a Ronaldinho-led Barcelona in the UEFA Cup in 2004, but has never faced his boyhood club in Paradise since leaving for Norwich in 2007.
Despite representing Scotland at Celtic Park when home internationals were briefly held away from Hampden in 2014, this remains the sole occasion on which Marshall has played in Glasgow’s East End since his move south.
The now-37-year-old returns to his old for the first time as an opposition player for Hibs on Saturday and is expecting an odd experience given his past memories of playing for the club and the familiar faces in the home dugout from his time between the sticks for the champions.
As reported by The Scotsman, Marshall said: “This will be the first time I’ve gone back to play Celtic, it will be weird having been there when I was so young and going back now.
“But I am looking forward to it, you want to be playing in these stadiums.
“I know a few of the people who are still there, John Kennedy was there when I was coming through and is on the staff now, and I know Stevie Woods from when he was in the academy at Celtic and then moved up.”
Although looking forward to the opporunity, Marshall is well aware that Ange Postecoglou’s side will be looking for a statement performance after midweek disappointment against Leipzig in the Champions League.
He said: “It’s a great platform for us to go there and show everyone we are a team doing well so I just hope we can take something from the game.”
“Celtic will do what the Old Firm always do when their backs are against the wall – they will look to go on a run. They will want to start that against us on Saturday.
“I was there when I was younger coming off the back of big nights, the crowd can be different and it can be difficult to get going at times. If that’s the case then we will try to take advantage of that but we know that the way their manager sets them up, it’s the first 15 or 20 minutes they try to win games in.”
No time for sentiments for either side ahead of critical league game
It’s testament to the longevity of some of those behind the scenes at Celtic that they’ve maintained fixtures at the club since Marshall’s departure 15 years ago, with John Kennedy and Stevie Woods still crucial parts of the first-team set up.
However, nobody will be in the mood for sentimentality come kick-off on Saturday, with a crucial three points up for grabs for both sides.
Marshall’s Hibs were on a strong run before coming unstuck at Tannadice on Tuesday night, and will also be looking to bounce back to maintain their place in third in the Scottish Premiership table.
There’s absolutely no let-up in the fixture list for Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic who follow-up Saturday’s home game with trips to Fir Park in the Premier Sports Cup and Tynecastle in the Premiership next week, as they look to stay in the hunt for silverware on four fronts going into the World Cup break.
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