Always worth having a look at what Ange Postecoglou had to say in his post-match interview with the BBC, almost always the questions are much different from what we listen to via the official Celtic TV post-match interviews and can end up with Ange getting a bit irritated with the Sportsound journalists.

Liel Abada’s sensational 90th minute winner meant that on top of the 3-3 draw up at Dingwall earlier in the afternoon, yesterday was quite simply a perfect day at Paradise, where we’ll be back in midweek knowing that another win – this time against theRangers ( and that is long overdue) will see Celtic go to the top of the league. Here goes…


Q: Ange, it was an absolutely remarkable finish to the match, take us through your emotions after that?

ANGE:  It was a frenetic finish to the game but I am obviously delighted with the end result. Credit to the players as they found something within them to sort of, irrespective of the challenge we faced to go on and win a game of football.

We weren’t at our best today especially in the first half, I thought we did not have the intensity or tempo we like to have in a game. Having said that we created enough chances to score goals and you know these games as long as the game goes on and you don’t score you kind of feel that we have got to find something special here and we got a man sent off and it is no secret to the players but for the last three and a half months they have risen to every challenge and that was another one today but they got there.

Q: You have talked about that bond and belief these players have but there is also composure in the side isn’t there and you must be delighted with Jota and Abada’s part in the last-minute goal?

ANGE:  For a young man he has had a baptism of fire and now you know he is understanding what it is like to play for this football club. I said to him after the game that sort of relentless expectation never stops for you while you are representing this football club so you have got to embrace it. He is one that has embraced it.

The ball has come in and it would have been very easy for him to snatch at it or go to try and hit the ball first time but he showed great composure and got his reward. The whole team got their reward and it would have been easy for us with ten men to lose our heads a little bit and they did not resign themselves to the fact that it was not our day. There was a real intent and desire to try and win that game and that is what we did.

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Q: It is theRangers game on Wednesday, how important it is and the fact that the gap is just two points now going into that match?

ANGE:  We kind of made a rule and concerted effort to just focus on ourselves and what we do. We got off to a pretty ordinary start in terms of the league and when you lose three league games in the first five or six then you know you have to just about be perfect from then on.

There is no problem in getting too anxious about other results or what is happening at other clubs as we just need to focus and worry about ourselves and I think we have worked ourselves into a position now where we know if we win on Wednesday night we go on top.

It won’t affect what we do because that’s not the end game or the end goal to be top in February. The end game is to be on top when the trophy is handed out. All it is is another opportunity for us to improve our football which we have to do after today and get tapping into that sort of spirit the players are showing.

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Q: There are reports that you are trying to bring Daizen Maeda and Tom Togic back, are you able to tell us if that is the case?

ANGE:  I think they get back on the day of the game irrespective of my desire to find a supersonic vehicle that will get them here in record time. A lot of that will actually depend on whether they actually play or not, if they play the day before then it is impossible for them to play on the night. If they are not involved then there is an opportunity to get them back but we will look at that through the week.

Q: On a personal level, what does it mean for you and how excited are you about it?

ANGE: I am looking forward to it. It is why you come to this football club and you want to be involved in the big games. I thought our fans were outstanding today and it would have been easy for them to get frustrated and get on the players back but they pushed the players on and I can just imagine what it is going to be like on Wednesday night this is why you come here to be involved in these games and my job is to make sure I prepare the players well for a good performance.

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