As the clock ticks down towards the end of the season, Celtic are now the only club left fighting not just on the SPFL front in the battle for that trophy but also in contesting for the Scottish Cup. One of the main reasons for that was the introduction of James Forrest from the bench in Sunday’s semi-final win over St Mirren, given his major part in the score going from 2-2 to 6-2 in a matter of minutes. The fact that the winger has just signed a new deal with the Hoops has been welcomed with delight by his captain and long-time team-mate, Callum McGregor. The skipper said of the news: “It’s brilliant, first of all it is massively deserved, he’s someone who’s been at the club a long, long time now. “He knows the fabric of the club, he knows how it operates, he knows what it takes to be a successful Celtic player. ‘He’s won countless trophies, he’s sitting first now in terms of successful silverware, so he’s someone with huge experience and is always there when you need him.’ “Like the game at the weekend there, he comes on and makes a massive impact on the team and gets us over the line. “So, somebody like that is invaluable to building your football club.” Forrest is now heading into his 18th season as a first-team player at Celtic Park, and the skipper stated he is here for another term on merit with sentimentality playing no part in the re-signing. McGregor said: “I don’t think there’s much room in football for sentiment now anyway. “The minute you are not needed you are out the door, so it just shows you how important he is and how he still is. “Like I just touched on, a few days ago he comes on and changed the game, he showed the moments of quality to get us over the line. “That experience and quality is so, so important for the club moving forward as well.”Both Celts have now won 50 top trophies between them, showing that longevity and continuity have played a massive part in Celtic’s silverware success over recent years, and McGregor is keen for that to continue. The skipper said: “It’s so important. I think you’ve seen the value of that this season more than any other with the change of managers etc. “The one thing you do need at big clubs is continuity, especially if those players have been really successful and they know what it takes to drive culture, standards and expectation, then these are the guys that you can rely on when things do get difficult. “It’s been fantastic and obviously amazing to share it with somebody like James, he’s so humble. “I’ve always said I want to be at this club, this is the club that I want to play for. I’ve come through since I was eight years old, it’s in my DNA it’s something I carry with me every single day.” Watch the full video to hear Callum McGregor on: Speculation James Forrest’s influence off the pitch The title race The advantage of experience Dealing with adversity Setting the tone this weekend The team’s resilience Managing game time Martin O’Neill as manager
Trending Now
