GARY CALDWELL will head for Hampden this weekend acutely aware it can be the theatre of dreams - and of nightmares.

On his last visit to the National Stadium, he was the unlikeliest of heroes, scoring Scotland's winner against world champions France.

However, if that was the highest point of his career, the same venue also provided the lowest.

This time last year, he was in the Hibs side which went into the Scottish Cup semi-final against city rivals Hearts.

With the Old Firm already out of the competition, it had been a golden chance to collect a piece of silverware before moving to Celtic on a Bosman.

But, instead of glory, he found himself on the bitter end of a 4-0 hammering.

Caldwell had to fill in at right-back that fateful day, and he is almost certain to be asked to occupy the same position for Celtic against St Johnstone on Saturday as Mark Wilson is recovering from an operation on knee ligaments and Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe has yet to be given his debut.

The co-incidence has already been noted by Caldwell who is desperate to get his hands on his first senior medals.

He said: "I've already thought about the fact the last semi-final in which I played I was at right- back.

"It was obviously a disappointing day for me, and for Hibs.

"But this is a different club and different circumstances. So I'm really looking forward to Saturday's game.

"It would be great to win this time because I've had a lot of disappointments in cups with Hibs.

"I've been to Hampden for the last few seasons, and it would be good to go there and win a cup this time."

Not that Caldwell, or any of his team-mates, is taking lightly the task of removing St Johnstone from the Cup equation.

He knows that's a sure-fire route to disaster.

But he believes he has learned to turn past disappointments - he also lost a Scottish Cup semi-final with Hibs against Dundee United two years ago and the CIS League Cup Final to Livingston the season before - to his advantage.

He explained: "I think setbacks in your career always spur you on. They give you that drive to succeed in the future.

"Hopefully, what happened last year will be spurring me on this weekend to get to the final and to win it."

Of course, Caldwell is not the only man who will travel on the Celtic coach to Hampden on Grand National day nursing regrets about previous costly slip-ups.

While he was losing at the penultimate hurdle last season, Celtic had already fallen at the first.

Manager Gordon Strachan admitted this week the defeat by Clyde will never go away.

But Caldwell prefers to be more philosophical. He said: "As footballer, you have got to forget things, and I'm sure the lads who played last season have put that totally out of their minds.

"Every competition Celtic are in, we need to win it, and that is what we'll be trying to do."

He continued: "It would be amazing to collect medals in the cup and league. It's why I came here, to win things and be successful.

"To do it in the first year at the club would be a big achievement."

Not least because the club he has just left. Hibs, have already got off the mark this season.

Coincidentally, to get to the League Cup Final, the Easter Road club had to win a thrilling semi-final against St Johnstone.

The performance of Owen Coyle's First Division side has been duly noted, and Caldwell will be warning his team-mates what to expect on Saturday.

"I watched their CIS League Cup semi-final against Hibs and thought St Johnstone were excellent," he said.

"They are going to give us a lot of problems and it will be a tough game for us, but it is one which we have got to win."

It could be argued that, having won convincingly at Gretna last weekend, Saints go into this tie as the form side.

Celtic have certainly been making heavy weather of their recent games. But Caldwell sees no reason to press any panic buttons.

He said: "I don't think much has gone wrong. We've been a bit unlucky on occasions, missed chances at times, and if you don't kill off the opposition, it sometimes comes back to haunt you.

"Overall, though, I don't think there is too much going wrong. It's just a case of keeping working and I'm confident the breaks will come for us.

"I'm sure there are many teams would love to be 13 points clear. If that's the pressure we have every year, then bring it on. It's certainly not a case of taking the foot off the pedal. We've had a big lead for a long time, and that brings its own pressure.

"The Champions League game against AC Milan might have something to do with it. Those were games which kept us going, they were something to look forward to.

"So, to come so close was a big disappointment, and we've maybe suffered a bit from that. But we've got to focus again." Double joy will shut critics up says Gary

CELTIC are just one win away from clinching back-to-back Spl championships, and three victories away from making it a league and Scottish Cup double.

But the criticism continues to rain down on the players and manager Gordon Strachan.

Gary Caldwell reckons it's simply something you have to handle if you're going to be part of the club.

He said: "I learned very early in my career here that there is always criticism.

"Pre-season, when we were in Boston, we got criticism. During the season, despite being top of the league and going to the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time, we still got criticism.

"It's something we just have to blank from of our minds, and concentrate on keeping on winning. If you lift trophies, no-one can criticise you then."

Caldwell, who, although only celebrating his 25th birthday today, already has ambitions to move into management when he hangs up his boots.

And the flak being taken by Strachan has not put him off.

He said: "I can't believe the manager is getting criticism. But that's football. You always get criticism at big clubs and we all have to learn to deal with it."

The upside of this knocking is it has strengthened the bond within the dressing room, mirroring the attitude of the players during Martin O'Neill's time in charge.

Caldwell said: "There is a bit of a siege mentality and an attitude of: We'll show them'. So, I don't think it affects us in a bad way.

"We want to win the league every season. It's what you set out to do. The cups are a bonus, but the best team in the country is the team that wins the league.

"For everyone here it would be fantastic to get the double, having progressed in the Champions League, as well.

"And we would go into next season with great optimism again."