NEW Celtic boss Liam Brady believed he had signed the perfect striker to lead the attack when he paid £1.1million to Aston Villa for Tony Cascarino in July 1991.
The legendary Republic of Ireland midfielder, who had just replaced Billy McNeill in the Hoops hot seat, had swooped for his nation’s current frontman to take him to Parkhead and thought the pairing would be a marriage made in heaven.
Alas, fate wasn’t following the script.
Cascarino had to wait until October 5 until he scored his first goal, a mishit effort that crawled over the line in a 3-1 home league win over Hearts.
Six minutes later, he spoiled the breakthrough occasion by being red-carded. It was the story of the 6ft-plus forward’s time in Glasgow. If it could go wrong, it most assuredly would.
HEAVEN IN GOVAN…Tony Cascarino in a rare Celtic goal celebration after leaving Andy Gorwam grounded in the 1-1 draw against Rangers at Ibrox in November 1991.
He claimed just three more strikes – one coming in a 1-1 draw away to Rangers in November – in 30 appearances before he moved to Chelsea in an exchange deal with Tom Boyd in February 1992.
Years later, with the greatest of irony, the England-born player, now 62, reflected: “My name was ringing around Ibrox, something I had never heard at Celtic Park.”
On another occasion, Cascarino added: “I don’t want to make excuses. My only regret is that it was the perfect move at the wrong time. I didn’t show what I was close to being capable of.
“It was my worst time in football. The worst.”
After his two-year stint at Stamford Bridge, the attacker moved to France where he played for Marseille and AS Nancy before joining AS Red Star in July 2000.
After just two games at the Ligue 2 club, Cascarini decided to hang up his boots.
It was a classic story of what-might-have-been for a striker who went on to score 105 goals over eight years after leaving Celtic.
Since retiring from football, Cascarino has become a semi-professional poker player
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss the adventures of another former Celt in CQN’s EXCLUSIVE series.
