Matthew MacDermid appointed for Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren
The Scottish FA has confirmed that Matthew MacDermid will referee Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final tie against St Mirren at Hampden Park this weekend.
Celtic head into the match after a hard-fought 1- win over St Mirren at Celtic Park on Saturday. The semi-final will be the fifth and final meeting between the two sides this season, with recent encounters showing just how tight this fixture has become.
MacDermid will take charge of Sunday’s second semi-final, with Ross Macleod and David Roome named as his assistant referees. Kevin Clancy will oversee VAR, assisted by Chris Graham at Clydesdale House.
The 32-year-old has already officiated three Celtic matches this season. The first was the 2- defeat to Dundee at Dens Park. He also handled the 4-2 win over Livingston, which was one of only two victories under Wilfried Nancy. His most recent Celtic match came in February, when the Hoops lost 2-1 to Hibernian at Celtic Park.
That game drew plenty of attention after MacDermid sent off Auston Trusty for violent conduct. There was also frustration from the Celtic side when Liam Scales appeared to be brought down in the box, only for no penalty to be awarded.
MacDermid has also taken charge of five St Mirren matches this campaign. His first involving the Paisley side came in the Premier Sports League Cup group stage against Livingston. Since then, he has overseen St Mirren fixtures against Hibernian, Dundee, Hearts and Dundee United.
Celtic’s matches against St Mirren this season have mostly been close-run affairs. Three of their wins have come by a single-goal margin. The first arrived on the opening day of the campaign, when Luke McCowan scored a late winner.
Another dramatic moment came in November, when Callum McGregor struck in stoppage time in Paisley. That goal is now among the contenders for Goal of the Season.
The one major exception came in December, when St Mirren produced a commanding performance to beat Celtic 3-1 in the Premier Sports League Cup final at Hampden under then-manager Stephen Robinson.
With a place in the Scottish Cup final at stake, both sides now return to the national stadium for what looks set to be another closely fought contest.