O'Neill hopes Hedman will be fit for Cup tie

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill could be facing a goalkeeping crisis ahead of their Scottish Cup tie against St Mirren.

Regular first choice goalkeeper Robert Douglas is already sidelined following a double hernia operation and is not expected to be back in action until the beginning of February.

That should have opened the door for Magnus Hedman to show what he can do between the sticks but the Swede picked up a groin injury shortly before the Lisbon Lions’ benefit match against Feyenoord.

Rookie goalkeeper David Marshall had to step in instead and failed to prevent former Celtic star Pierre van Hooijdonk, Bonaventure Kalou and Shinji Ono hitting the back of the net before the interval.

The Hoops pulled goals back through John Hartson and Momo Sylla but lost 3-2 against the holders of the UEFA Cup.

Now O’Neill is sweating over the fitness of Hedman ahead of this weekend’s Tennent’s Scottish Cup third round tie against St Mirren.

He said: “Magnus Hedman was hurt just before the game so we thought it best not to risk him.

“He picked up a groin injury but we are hoping that he will be okay for the game at the weekend.

“It gave young Marshall a great chance. I think the first couple of times he got near the ball was to pick it out of the back of the net but it was a great experience for him.”

Out-of-favour youngster Colin Healy was handed a rare starting place against Feyenoord but O’Neill admits he is still likely to leave Parkhead.

The young midfielder is desperate for first-team football and has attracted the interest of Everton but O’Neill is still waiting to hear from the Premiership side.

He added: “Nothing has developed there yet although there are still a number of days left before the transfer deadline.

“But we are always more keen to see players coming to Celtic than leaving. Everton have said they will come back to us between now and the end of the month but whether or not they will do that I don’t know.”

O’Neill’s announcement that he had signed a new 12-month rolling contract shortly before the game overshadowed the occasion slightly.

But the Hoops boss was delighted that more than 22,000 supporters turned out to honour Celtic’s most famous team, who were the first British side to win the European Cup in 1967.

O’Neill said: “It was a good competitive game and Feyenoord proved just what a good team they are. It was exactly what we needed and we will try to use that as much as possible.

“It was great to see so many supporters come tonight, especially at the end of January when money is tight.

“This is probably something that should have been done a long time ago and I don’t think it will ever be forgotten what this team did.”