WATCHING his Dundee United team mates concede nine goals when they played Celtic at Tannadice back in August was not one of the greatest experiences of Mark Birighitti’s career.
But losing to the Scottish champions in their cinch Premiership match at Parkhead on Saturday was even worse than that record defeat for the Australian goalkeeper.
He was convinced that United were going to earn a draw when substitute Dylan Levitt equalised with just three minutes of regulation time remaining.
Birighitti was bereft when the visitors’ hopes of recording a morale-boosting result which could have transformed their entire season were ended by some sloppy defending at the death.
Liam Fox’s side allowed Kyogo Furuhashi to head home at a Matt O’Riley corner in the final minute and then Liel Abada to pile on the misery in injury-time.
“I am still lost for words,” he said as he looked back on the 4-2 reverse. “We went to Parkhead with a game plan and I thought we executed it perfectly. We got behind the ball and hit them on the counter.
“We need a bit of accountability on our end. We spoke about set pieces during the week – they take throw-ins quickly, they take corners quickly, they take set pieces quickly. We just weren’t switched on and it killed us. We killed ourselves.
“It is just frustrating. We gave away a c*** goal in the last minute at a set piece. We have to be accountable. We need to switch on in those situations. It killed us.”
Birighitti added: “Obviously the last game we played against them at home was a game that we wanted to erase from the memory bank. Yes, it was a better result than the last time we played them, but I thought we could have come away with at least a point.
“To go so close to getting it was hard. Was it worse than losing 9-0? It was, 100 per cent. We were so close, just a few minutes away. If we had come away with a point that would really have kick started us and given us real confidence going into the next two games before the World Cup break.”
The far-travelled 31-year-old, though, fully expected Ange Postecoglou’s men to fight to the death for the victory.
He knows the Celtic manager well - he won his only international cap in 2013 when the Greek-Australian was in charge of the Socceroos – and holds him in high regard both as a coach and as a man.
He was not in the slightest bit surprised that his old boss made a beeline for him after the final whistle to offer him some words of comfort.
“I have got a lot of respect and a lot of time for him,” said Birighitti. “We worked together in the national team and I played against his teams when I was in Australia. I have the utmost respect for him and what he is doing. He has done unbelievably well and I can’t give him enough credit.
“After the game he just said that I had played well and told me to keep my head up and stay positive and that results would turn. That is about it really. It was good of him. Ange is a class character on and off the field. Like I said, I have a lot of time for him. I respect him a lot and what he has done.
“It is good to see him here in Scotland doing well. He deserves it. He has had a tough journey back home in Australia. To see him doing so well and being involved in the Champions League? I don’t have enough words to describe how happy I am for him. He is a top guy on and off the field.”
Birighitti does not feel that Fox will need to lift the United players before their Premiership encounter with fellow strugglers Kilmarnock at Tannadice on Wednesday night.
“We can’t kick ourselves down,” he said. “We have got a short turnaround. We have a big game on Wednesday. It is a cup final for us. We need to win that. There is no other way. We need to pick three points up on Wednesday night. It is a must-win game for us.
“We knew playing Celtic was going to be challenging, backs-against-the-wall stuff. But we held out, we were solid defensively and as a unit. Wednesday night will be a different challenge for us. It is a game we have to be on the front foot in and take it to them because we are at home. We have to keep the ball and try and dominate possession.
“Look, we will dust ourselves off, we will review it. You just can’t sweep it under the carpet. Players have to be accountable for their actions when they are coming onto the field. Players need to know their job roles at set pieces.”
