BOXER BAIN was pulling no punches when he heaped out praise the Celtic’s back four on Sunday in the Betfred Cup Final win over Aberdeen. And he was in such a good mood that he even included substitute Jozo Simunovic for praise even though the substitute hit The Celtic bar with his first touch of the ball with Bain rooted to the spot.
That scare apart it was an accomplished defensive performance from the Celtic defence. Bain, who lost just the one goal in the tournament in the early rounds against Partick Thistle at Firhill and after that it was clean sheets all the way.
Boxer, speaking to The Celtic View, was delighted with this, the biggest win of his career.
“It was a great occasion and I think the big thing, for me, was to handle it, deal with it and play the game,” Boxer said.
“As the saying goes, you play the game not the occasion, and the boys were fantastic.
“I think the back four were excellent too, including Jozo when he came on. It’s not easy coming into a game of that stature at that time, and I think he played excellently.
“The back four have given the rest of the team the platform to play from over the last few weeks, and it’s great to get another clean sheet here at Hampden in a cup final, and, of course, win a trophy.
“That was definitely the biggest game that I’ve played in. It’s great to be a part of a team like Celtic, and, considering what it takes to play in cup finals, to play on the big stage, and win trophies, I’m obviously thankful to the manager for sticking with me and showing faith in me. That gave me a real boost going into this game.”
Boxer was also knocked out by The Celtic noise at Hampden on Sunday.
“It was a great atmosphere and we’re used to that every week,” Bain said.
“The Celtic fans are fantastic, whether that’s at home or away. Playing against Hearts in the semi-final really set me up for this game. We knew it was going to be a difficult game, and the lads put a lot into it and deserved what they got.
“For me, it’s now just a case of doing what I’ve been doing.
“I want to continue working as hard as I possibly can, both on and off the pitch. Craig’s obviously a great goalkeeper and has big boots to fill. I’ll keep working as hard as I possibly can, and if games come here and there, then I’ll be grateful for them.”
