A teenage Liam Kelly got a close-up view of Craig Gordon ’s punishing fightback from a two-year injury layoff as the goalkeeper went through a rigorous rehab at Rangers.
A decade on and the Motherwell skipper has absolutely no doubt his now Scotland colleague will again defy the odds to return from the double leg break that wrecked his Christmas - even at the age of 40. Kelly could be first in line to replace the veteran shotstopper when Steve Clarke selects his side for the start of the Euro 2024 qualifiers in March and insists he’ll be ready for national service if given the call.
And it could be a fluid transition as he admits 10 years on from his first brush with Gordon he’s still stealing bits of the elder statesman’s game to make himself better. Kelly’s double penalty save in Monday’s 1-1 draw with Livingston would certainly have caught Clarke’s eye. But the 26-year-old is refusing to look that far ahead as he voiced his support for glove rival and mentor Gordon.
