Q: What was the mood in the camp after the draw against (the)Rangers? Was your primary response disappointment at being held to a draw or was it was it more relief preventing (the)Rangers from reigniting the title race?
Matt O’Riley: “Probably a mixture. I felt like for the majority of the game, we managed it well. Obviously, they had some good chances towards the end so I think from an outside point of view, it gets looked at a bit differently. I was disappointed, certainly, with a draw.
‘It was a game where we were more than capable of winning, especially with the chances we had, but it wasn’t meant to be for whatever reason. After the game, we all sat down and said ‘listen, we can’t be hard on ourselves. We’re six points clear with however many games to go so we’re in a good place’. The mood was pretty good overall.”
Q: Has there been a temptation to celebrate because it’s almost there or do you think it’s too soon when you’ve got a team like Hearts who are third-top coming to visit next?
Matt O’Riley: “There’s no time for celebrations yet. There’s still a lot of football to be played. From an outside point of view, it looks like it’s potentially close to being finished but from where we are we have a lot more work to do to close it over the line. So no celebrations. Once we, hopefully, do it we can focus on that.”
Q: Would you say that your move to Celtic so far as has gone to plan or even exceeded expectations – for you personally and the team?
Matt O’Riley: “I didn’t really know what to expect, both on a personal level and a collective level. Obviously, it was a big change for me in terms of where I came from but it’s gone really well. I couldn’t really ask for too much more. I’m always someone who demands a lot from myself so I think there are times when I was probably disappointed I haven’t done as well as I thought I could have, etc.
“But I think overall I’ve played to a pretty good level. I’ve been pretty consistent which I think is important, especially in the position I am on the pitch. As a team I think we’ve been really good. A couple of blips here and there, but that’s football and I think anytime we’ve had a blip we’ve we’ve come back really well.”
Q: What’s your biggest achievement in football before now, medals-wise at least?
Matt O’Riley: “I haven’t won any medals, mate. Not professionally. This will be my first so that’ll be pretty cool if I can do that. But, like I said previously, I haven’t done it yet so I’m trying to focus on everything that I can do to achieve that goal. And then hopefully once it happens, I can enjoy that feeling.”
