Joe Ledley and Derek Riordan announced in Celtic’s Tennent’s Sixes squad

Scottish football is going back to the future with the return of the official SPFL Tennent’s Sixes. It was an iconic six-a-side tournament in the 1980s and ‘90s – with Celtic winning the tournament in 1992 – and it’s returning to the Braehead Arena on the weekend of October 3 and 4 – with the official backing of the SPFL. All 12 Premiership teams have signed up to take part in a legends version of the small-sided tournament, with heroes of the recent past wearing the official club kits of this season and among the former Celts joining up the Hoops’ squad are Joe Ledley and Derek Riordan. 16. JOE LEDLEY Celtic 2010-14, 157 games, 30 goals Joe Ledley arrived at Celtic in July 2010 after six years with his boyhood club, Cardiff City, during which time he’d helped them reach the FA Cup final in 2008. And over the next four years, he established himself as a key member of the Celtic squad and a firm fans’ favourite. His Celtic debut came in a UCL qualifier against Portuguese side, Braga, which the Hoops lost 3-0, and the first of his 30 goals for Celtic came in August 2010 when the Hoops beat St Mirren 4-0 at home. Perhaps his most famous goal came in the Glasgow derby at Celtic Park in December 2011 when he headed home the only goal of the game to put the Hoops top of the table, a position they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the campaign. In total, Joe Ledley played 157 times for Celtic, winning three league titles and the Scottish Cup in 2013 when he scored in the 3-0 win over Hibernian at Hampden. He moved to Crystal Palace in 2014. A Welsh football legend, Joe Ledley was capped 77 times by his country and helped them reach the semi-final of the European Championship in 2016.14. DEREK RIORDAN Celtic 2006 – 08, 33 games, 8 goals In his two spells with fellow SPFL Tennent’s Sixes opponents, Hibernian, Derek Riordan netted 104 goals in 260 games, but it was his interlude at Celtic in between those seasons at Easter Road that see him don the green and white of Celtic rather than that of the Hibees in this tournament. The Edinburgh-born 43-year-old was with Hibs as a youth player and made his debut as an 18-year-old in the Edinburgh derby against Hearts in 2001. In his relatively short spell with the Hoops under Gordon Strachan, he played in successive title wins in 2006/07 and 2007/08 while he was also on the bench for the 2006/07 Scottish Cup final win over Dunfermline. A spell in China with Shaanxi Baorong Chanba followed Riordan’s second stint at Hibs but he was soon back home with quite a few clubs including a couple of trips over the border. One of those was teaming up with former Celt, Jackie McNamare during his spell as manager at York City.The original Tennent’s Sixes captured the imagination of a generation of Scottish football fans during its nine-year stretch from 1984 until 1993, with Partick Thistle the last winners of the cult trophy. And the joint organisers – the SPFL and Braehead Arena – have worked quietly for months to give fans of all ages a family experience blending nostalgia with a modern twist. Saturday group stages will start with three regionalised groups of four, with each group winner and runner-up progressing to the knockout stages, along with the two best third-placed teams. To keep fans on the edge of their seats, every game will have a winner, with a bonus point for a penalty shoot-out win in the event of a draw. The sin bin will also be making a comeback, and organisers hope it will capture the imagination of football fans and families alike. Celtic are in Group C, alongside Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Rangers. More details and tickets are available via Braehead Arena: www.spfltennentssixes.co.uk