Sean Mackie’s heart was in his mouth.
Just eight minutes after entering the fray at Parkhead last Sunday, a Jota shot was adjudged to have struck the arm of the Raith Rovers debutant.
Penalty to Celtic.
The on-loan Hibs defender had already been cautioned — and referee Steven McLean was reaching for his pocket again.
Then, in a bizarre twist of fate, the whistler booked Ross Matthews instead.
Yellow card confusion at Celtic Park! 🟨
Celtic were awarded a penalty for a handball by Sean Mackie, who was already booked, but the yellow card seems to have gone to Ross Matthews, who didn't handle the ball 🤷 pic.twitter.com/6hv3ZlmocP
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) February 13, 2022
“I saw the referee pulling out the yellow card — but not pointing in my direction,” laughs Mackie. “So, I thought, ‘I’ll just stand still and see what happens’. I wasn’t just going to walk off!
“A few of the boys said [to McLean], ‘what are you doing, you’ve booked the wrong person’. I’m stood there going, ‘shut up, just take it!’”
Hammer Time
Raith Rovers have not appealed against Matthews’ yellow card, despite that being their right for a case of mistaken identity.
With the Fifers out of the Scottish Cup following the 4-0 defeat, there is little reason to.
Nevertheless, it was a dramatic footnote to Mackie’s bow, coming less than 24 hours after he officially joined the Kirkcaldy club — an opportunity he gratefully grasped after emerging through the youth ranks at Stark’s Park as a fresh-faced teenager.
“There are still a few of the boys here, which is brilliant,” continued Mackie. “Lewis Vaughan, Rossco [Matthews], Benny [Kyle Benedictus] and Aidan Connolly — and I can’t forget Si [Simon Pollock] the kit-man.
“I know Hammer [Jamie Gullan] really well from our time at Hibs.
“I actually spoke to him about the move when I heard there was a chance of it happening. He just told me I should jump at the chance. I’m buzzing to be back where it all started.”
Mackie’s Hibs career is over
The loan switch to Rovers will mark the end of Mackie’s six-year stint with Hibernian, with his contract due to expire in the summer.
🔙| On this day two years ago, @SeanMackie_'s screamer sealed a win for the Development Squad against Motherwell that secured the SPFL Development League title, which followed hot on the heels of the Scottish FA Youth Cup. pic.twitter.com/q1bYE3aTlq
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) April 30, 2020
Mackie boasts 23 senior appearances for the Hibees — a more than creditable tally for any aspiring talent — and was farmed out to Berwick Rangers, Edinburgh City and Dundee.
Reflecting on his time in the capital, pride is jumbled with regret. Torrid luck with injuries, allied with a perceived lack of faith from ex-Hibs boss Paul Heckingbottom, loom large in his recollections.
“I believe that I would have had more of a run in the team if it wasn’t for injuries,” Mackie tells Courier Sport.
“I was given a few chances under Neil Lennon and thought I did well. He showed a lot of faith in me.
“Under [Paul] Heckingbottom, I played two games and got sent off at Ibrox [6-1 defeat, August 2019]. It felt like, when he sent me out on loan [to Dundee], that was partly the reason why.
“I didn’t think that was really fair.
“However, having two really big injuries — my ankle and then the problem with my heels — has cost me about 18 months of my career. That was the biggest thing.”
The ankle issue to which Mackie alludes was suffered in a friendly against Tranent Juniors in 2019.
Although able to play through the pain barrier for a period, he would ultimately require surgery to repair torn cartilage in January 2020.
He would not kick a ball until October that year.
Mackie would then battle a condition known as Plantar fasciitis in both his heels, which would rob him of another year.
Prior to replacing Kyle Benedictus at Celtic Park on Sunday, his previous competitive outing was on November 28, 2020.
“It’s been brutal to be out for so long,” rued Mackie. “But all you can do is get through it and hope that’s my bad luck finished in terms of big injuries. Plain sailing from now on!”
Time to shine
Indeed, Mackie now has — in the words of Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn — a ‘shop window’; three months to earn a deal, whether in Kirkcaldy or elsewhere.
“I was in two minds about what to do when I spoke to the gaffer at Hibs [Shaun Maloney],” added Mackie. “Do I just get as fit as possible and see what happens at Hibs? Or do I go for a loan move and get back playing?
“I spoke to Darren McGregor a lot, asking for his advice and guidance. It came down to knowing I had to be out playing regularly.
“It’s time to show people what I can do.”
