Ange Postecoglou reveals advice from Celtic great Frank McGarvey ahead of 6-1 Hibernian rout

Ange Postecoglou admits he was thrilled to see Celtic legend and childhood hero Frank McGarvey given a rousing reception by supporters during Saturday’s 6-1 hammering of Hibernian.

The Hoops icon, who made 245 appearances for the club between 1980 and 1985, made an emotional return to Parkhead on Saturday just a matter of days after his family confirmed that he was suffering from cancer.

The 66-year-old former striker and his family were invited to attend the match as guests of Celtic, with McGarvey given a warm standing ovation by fans as he emerged from the tunnel with daughter Jennifer before kick-off.

He thanked supporters thanked for their kind messages of support and well-wishes before stating, “I want to tell everybody at Parkhead today, I love you all.”

McGarvey, who scored the winner in the 1985 Scottish Cup final against Dundee United (2-1) - his final appearance for the club - remains one of only 29 players to have netted over 100 times for the reigning Scottish champions.

Capped seven times by Scotland, the Glasgow-born hero is currently awaiting further updates on his condition and Postecoglou revealed the clear instructions McGarvey told him pre-match to make sure Celtic maintained their lead at the top of the table.

Speaking after the clash, he said: “I caught up with Frank before the game and I’ve met him a couple of times but he’s one from my childhood that I followed very closely because of his Celtic and Liverpool connection.

“When King Kenny (Dalglish) went from Celtic to Liverpool, my allegiances were sort of between both clubs so when he made the same move I was super excited and I followed his career after that as a youngster,

“He was close to my heart at the time. It was great to see him before the game and hopefully the result lifted his spirits. I saw his family there too, his kids.

“He’s obviously going through a tough time, but he had some pretty clear direct instructions that we needed to score in the first 20 minutes. We got a couple so I’m sure that’ll make him happy.”

James Forrest became the latest name to reach 100 goals for Celtic after notching a hat-trick on his first start of the campaign in the rout, with Giorgos Giakoumakis’ double and Daizen Maeda capping an impressive display against the Edinburgh outfit.

Commenting on the winger’s century of goals, Postecoglou stated: “He joins a pretty elite club. Your career is always defined by the things that last rather than money or accolades.

“It’s exactly why we wanted to keep him at the club. A successful squad is made of many parts. I knew James would be an important player for us over the year.

“He’s been chipping away at it and has made an impact every time he’s come on over the past few weeks. He was ready and I know there’s more to come.”