Twisted thugs bought Celtic player cushions to torch as sick effigies on Bonfire Night

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Sick yobs tried to buy scores of Celtic player novelty cushions to torch on bonfire night, the Record can reveal.

Stars including Hoops captain Callum McGregor and club legend Henrik Larsson have been immortalised as giant draught excluders.

But twisted thugs wanted to use them as “Guys” on November 5 in Northern Ireland.

Luckily the vile ploy was rumbled by the boss of Scots-based Etsy firm StopperFC which makes the quirky pillows.

Owner Ritchie Crossman, 46, said: “I got an order through for ten McGregors and ten Larssons from an individual near Belfast.

“Straight away I was suspicious as the most orders I’ve ever had for a player from the same buyer was two.

“I did a wee bit of digging and found his social media pages.

“He’d already posted he was ‘interested in going’ to a bonfire event next week.

“Then in another post he said how he had something ‘special’ lined up.

“It was pretty obvious to me that the draught excluders were going to be used as Guys.

“I messaged him to say I’d be cancelling the order which was pretty annoying given it was worth a few hundred quid.

“But this was just wrong and couldn’t be allowed to happen.

“He laughed it off but then all his social media vanished which I think was pretty telling.”

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An effigy is traditionally put on top of a November 5th bonfire to represent Guy Fawkes who attempted to blow up the House of Parliament in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot.

Fawkes and his fellow Catholic conspirators were caught and later executed.

The events led to the British tradition of Bonfire Night which is especially popular in Protestant areas of Northern Ireland.

Ritchie, of Edinburgh, came up with the idea to flog the stoppers after watching players lying on the pitch behind defensive walls at free kicks.

He said: “Messi did it for PSG against Man City a few years back.

“It’s then we came up with the idea of making the draught excluders.”

Scotland heroes Scott McTominay, John McGinn and Andy Robertson are also available along with a host of other stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.

Rangers legends Paul Gascoigne and Ally McCoist can also be bought.

The draught excluders are available on the StopperFC Etsy page for £34 which includes free UK postage and packaging.

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