Irish Bhoy Adam Lynch makes his debut on The Celtic Star, telling his story from last week’s trip to the Europa League play-off match which was his first time back at Celtic Park for well over a year…
Back In Paradise After 18 Months In Hell…
To say that the last 18 months have been torturous would be an understatement. From not being able to see friends and family, to not being able to live your everyday life as normal. It’s certainly been a challenging time for many. No more so than all the passionate Celtic fans around the world.
Football fans all across Scotland had been locked out since March 2020. So when we got the news that a small number of crowds were to be allowed back in, it really filled every supporter’s heart with joy.
With small crowds let in for pre-season games against Preston and West Ham it wasn’t until a Europa League qualifier with Jablonec of Czech Republic where we saw a full house for the first time since St Mirren on 7 March, 2020. From what I saw at home on the TV the atmosphere looked electric and it was like the good old European nights despite the opposition not being the strongest.
Last week I was fortunate enough to get hold of a ticket for the first leg of the play off round against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. This was my first time back in Paradise in well over a year. It felt like I had never been away. The buzz around the place was amazing prior to kick off. Walking up The Celtic Way you could tell people were genuinely happy to be back. I’m sure a lot of that has to do with Ange Postecoglou’s free scoring Celts.
Over the last year I’ve met some very good people through social media, in particular Celtic fans. This was my first time meeting some of them in person. They couldn’t have been more helpful, with sorting me with match tickets to buying me pints, they were all honestly just a lovely bunch.
Walking into the stadium it honestly felt so strange, I can’t remember the last time I was surrounded by 60,000 people. It was a spectacular sight. I made it into the ground when the teams were being announced over the tannoy. Followed by an outstanding rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Nerves kicked in from the start as AZ dominated the early stages, Joe Hart made a brilliant save early on and a loud roar went up around Celtic Park. Celtic grew into the game and an excellent run by a rejuvenated Tom Rogic was finished off brilliantly by our new Japanese star Kyogo Furuhashi.
This calmed the nerves as Celtic looked to add another. The second finally came when Kyogo fed James Forrest and his shot was deflected in on the hour. There was once again a party atmosphere around Celtic Park. We rode our luck at times but a spirited performance from our defence got us over the line and set up nicely for our away leg in Alkmaar.
Walking out of the stadium you could feel the buzz back, something we certainly couldn’t feel last season. With no fans and no team to be proud of. It seems now that the tables are starting to turn. Fans are really starting to buy into Ange’s football philosophy, and with the right backing it’ll be exciting to see how far he can take us.
After the game I headed to Grace’s Bar in the City Centre with a few mates. The place was packed out. It was unusual to see, considering back in Ireland pubs only opened for indoor dining a few weeks ago. You could move from table to table and have a sing song with fellow fans.
Being in Ireland it can be tough making it over to the games, probably something I took for granted before covid hit. Making it to about 3 or 4 every season. But like every Celtic trip when I get home, I’m already planning the next.
Adam Lynch
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