Celtic's Premiership rivals deny attempting to replicate iconic Hoops' signature

St Johnstone star Liam Gordon says he and his teammates did not have Celtic in mind when they huddled up ahead of last weekend’s damaging defeat to Livingston. The Saints currently sit in the relegation playoff spot, two points behind Ross County, who are the team they face next in a crucial basement battle.

Craig Levein’s men could have taken a big step towards safety last time out when they faced an already relegated Livingston, but despite taking the lead, they wound up losing 2-1, conceding a stoppage time winner. Ahead of the game, St Johnstone’s players huddled up in a huddle resembling that of Celtic’s famous pre-match ritual.

Saints star Gordon credits the huddle for a fast start that led to a goal in the eighth minute, but he has played down any Celtic influence. “It wasn’t a huddle, even though it turned into that,” Gordon told The Courier.

“We just wanted to get together and have a final word. Then the boys got closer and closer. When you’re getting people round like that there’s only so many shapes you can make! It wasn’t an attempt to replicate the Celtic one! We just wanted to get together and say a few words to each other. I think it showed the togetherness and gave the fans a bit of a lift as well. You could hear them in the background while we were speaking and it definitely helped us with the way we started the game.

“It created a nice little buzz for us and I don’t think it was a coincidence we started so well. Will we try it again? I don’t know because it happened on its own. As I say, it was just a few players wanting to have their say about the game and what we had in front of us.“