Keane targets cup glory with Hoops

14 March 2010 12:58
The on-loan Celtic striker left Rugby Park with the match ball after his second-half hat-trick saw Tony Mowbray's men beat Kilmarnock 3-0 in their Active Nation Scottish Cup quarter-final clash.[LNB]Keane has now scored eight goals in eight games since arriving at Parkhead in January and while the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title looks an unlikely prospect - Celtic are 13 points behind Old Firm rivals Rangers - he is looking to finish the season off with some silverware.[LNB]"It would be brilliant (to take a Scottish Cup medal back)," the Republic of Ireland striker said.[LNB]"I'm only here a short space of time and to win something would be fantastic.[LNB]"It is vitally important (that we finish the season with a trophy).[LNB]"At a club like Celtic you need to be involved in these competitions and certainly get to the final and obviously it would have been very disappointing for everyone involved with Celtic if we had got beaten today.[LNB]"So full credit to everyone that we got a good result and we look forward to the next round.[LNB]"In the last few games we have started to pick up and we have had some clean sheets which is always important to the confidence of the team.[LNB]"I don't think we played particularly well in the first half but the manager had a few words at half-time."[LNB]The game turned in the 63rd minute when Keane opened the scoring from Edson Braafheid's long ball and two more in a minute secured the visitors a place in Monday's semi-final draw.[LNB]Mowbray, who revealed goalkeeper Artur Boruc missed the game after being given compassionate leave to return to Poland following the illness of a family member, refused to get too carried away by Keane's contribution.[LNB]He said: "As long as he continues to work hard for the team and contribute with goals then I will never have any complaints.[LNB]"If you break the game down, you wouldn't have said at half-time that Robbie Keane was man of the match.[LNB]"He did what he does in the second half. It was great work by Braafheid for the first goal, Georgios Samaras for his second and Marc-Antoine Fortune for his third.[LNB]"It is a team game and he was there to finish them off and that's why he is here, he can do that.[LNB]"The first half wasn't good enough, it wasn't of the standard that we have set ourselves this season.[LNB]"The players were aware of that and we started the second half brightly.[LNB]"Sometimes the difference is the quality of the strike, particularly Keane's third goal."[LNB]In contrast, Kilmarnock boss Jimmy Calderwood lavished praise on the man who ended his cup hopes.[LNB]"In all fairness to Jamie Fowler, he marked him well in the first half and I thought it worked well but you can't keep good players down," Calderwood said.[LNB]"The lad is wonderful and plays with a smile on his face. I watched him down at Tottenham and you could see how much pleasure he takes from playing football.[LNB]"He is probably a very rich lad but he takes so much pleasure, he plays football like a wee boy.[LNB]"But I thought the first goal was poor. I'm not sure if it was down to the keeper or Scott Severin but I don't think the keeper's starting position was right.[LNB]"We had chances but we had to score the first goal."[LNB]Killie striker Allan Russell agreed with Calderwood's analysis of Keane, adding: "He has got to be up there as one of the best strikers in the world.[LNB]"You can't give him time and space or he will punish you with a hat-trick. He is a big player for them.[LNB]"I thought Jamie Fowler did well against him but all he needs is that chance and he will take it."[LNB][LNB][LNB]

Source: Team_Talk