JOHN COLLINS and Luke McCowan have a few things in common.
The former midfield mastermind, now 57, joined his boyhood idols from Hibs in the summer of 1990.
McCowan, 27, did likewise on August deadline day when he made the switch from Dundee.
Collins became the Hoops’ first £1million signing when Billy McNeill lured him from Easter Road with Graeme Souness making a failed late bid to reroute the Scotland international to Ibrox.
ROARING SUCCESS…John Collins celebrates a goal against his former club Hibs in 1995.
Thirty-four years later, McCowan cost the identical fee on a day Celtic broke their transfer record with the £11million recruitment of Arne Engels from Bundesliga club Augsburg.
Collins watched the action in the holders’ 2-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final win over his former Easter Road club at Parkhead on Sunday afternoon to set up a last-four encounter with St Johnstone at Hampden next month.
McCowan was introduced to the action in the 75th minute to replace skipper Callum McGregor with Engels taking over the anchorman role in the team’s engine room.
In stoppage-time, the substitute worked a neat one-two with Yang Hyun-jun to fire over the low right-wing cross that was tucked away by Adam Idah to add to Daizen Maeda’s first-half opener.
Collins was impressed by McCowan’s contribution and, speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, admitted: “One thing I like about McCowan is that he is always positive.
HIGH HOPES…Luke McCowan challenges in an aerial duel against Dundee United.
“He looks forward all the time.
“His first thought is: ‘Can I drive forward? Can I play forward? Or can I get a shot off?’
“Terrific player. I like him a lot.”
McCowan made his Hoops debut as a second-half substitute alongside fellow-new Bhoy Engels in the champions’ 3-0 romp against the ill-fated Philippe Clement’s Ibrox side in September in the east end of Glasgow.
Both are standing by to play their part against the same opposition at the same venue on Sunday with Brendan Rodgers’ men just three wins away from the club’s fourth successive title, their thirteenth flag in 14 years and their 55th crown in their coveted history.
