[Scottish N Proud]

captain's call for home bhoy scott


SCOTT McDonald will return home to Australia as Celtic skipper, having been asked to take on the captaincy for the club’s pre-season match Down Under.

With club captain Stephen McManus out injured and not travelling, McDonald has been temporarily handed the armband by manager Tony Mowbray for this one-off occasion against Brisbane Roar on July 12.

“I am absolutely delighted,” the Australian internationalist told celticfc.net. “As a lifelong Celtic supporter, I realise just how great an honour it is to be given the captaincy for this match.

“I’d like to thank the manager for this opportunity. My family will be among the thousands of supporters who are all looking forward to the club’s visit and it will, personally, be a real honour to lead the team out on this rare trip to Australia.”

The game on July 12 at the Suncorp Stadium will kick-off Celtic’s pre-season preparations, which also include a friendly at Cardiff’s new stadium, the prestigious Wembley Cup and games against Sunderland and Manchester City.

Manager Tony Mowbray added: “We obviously realise how important a trip this is for the football club as a whole and it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to play in front of our supporters in Australia.

“They support the team faithfully, but don’t get the opportunity to see us play very often and we realise how much this visit means to them.

“We thought it would be fitting that an Australian-born Celtic player leads the team out in Brisbane and we are all looking forward to the match. We hope that the supporters enjoy the occasion.”

His first cap?