“We were so close” – Kilmarnock’s Ash Taylor on the 2017 Celtic moment that still gets to him

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Celtic return to Hampden this weekend to take on a Kilmarnock side featuring defender Ash Taylor.

While the National Stadium has been very good to the Hoops over recent years, it’s important to remember those who have been less fortunate, like the English centre-back.

Taylor was part of the Aberdeen side who went so close to stopping Brendan Rodgers’ all-conquering Celts from winning the invincible treble in season 2016/17.

While Tom Rogic’s solo brilliance eventually sealed the stunning feat in the most dramatic of circumstances, Taylor remembers a key moment about 20 minutes earlier.

After a mistake from current Celtic skipper Callum McGregor, Aberdeen’s Jonny Hayes was sent clear but misplaced his pass to Kenny McLean at the back post.

Taylor told STV: “When people ask about that moment between Jonny Hayes and Kenny McLean I always say that if he scores that we go on to win it.

“Unfortunately we didn’t and Rogic goes up the other end and scores and it is just those fine moments in cup finals that defines the game and it spurs you on to try to taste that success.

“It is always there because we were so close against such a good Celtic side at that time.

“In the League Cup final earlier on they gave us a doing but this time it was so close and we were so unfortunate, especially with the performance we put in as well.

“It was my last game in my first spell at Aberdeen and it will always sit with me but it is important on Saturday that we put in the performance that we can try and take something from it.”

Taylor is right about one thing: cup semi-finals and finals are decided by the slimmest of margins.

Just ask any Celtic fan about Cameron Carter-Vickers smashing the bar against Rangers last April. Had he scored, we would surely have been looking at another treble.

Thankfully, we’ve had far more of these fine moments go for us than against us in recent years.

Here’s to another good day out at Hampden on Saturday.

In other news, Tomoki Iwata answered an important question yesterday