Kieran Tierney revealed that he had personal reasons for wanting to score at Ibrox on Sunday as his brilliant header past Jack Butland gave Celtic the momentum to go on to take a point and so nearly all three in that memorable second half fightback in the Glasgow Derby…
Speaking to the written mainstream media yesterday afternoon at Lennoxtown before the Celtic buses left for Aberdeen the Celtic left-back explained what that goal against theRangers meant to him personally.
“It was pleasing for me personally, but more for the team,” KT said, as reported by Daily Record. “In that moment we needed to score when we were on top of them. It was a crucial time so I was delighted. Beforehand, people were always saying to me ‘you’ve not scored against (the)Rangers.’
“I can’t remember missing any major sitters. But I had never scored or got close to scoring so it felt good. I did score a few at youth level, right enough. I think the last one was at Murray Park. On Sunday, I had a lot of people in the away end so to give a goal back was great. There was still time for us to play our football and create more chances. And the boys were brilliant.”
The Ibrox side’s start certainly left Celtic reeling as Martin O’Neill’s side failed to cope with the intensity of theRangers attacks and perhaps the wall of noise being created by their supporters, baying for Celtic blood.
“In games like that, it’s never going to be easy,” the Celtic defender said as he looked back on Celtic poor first half showing in the Glasgow Derby. “When somebody scores an overhead kick inside the first ten minutes, the momentum straight away goes with them. That’s what we need to learn as a team, to be stronger in moments like that. And try and not concede another goal like we did.
“We made it hard for ourselves to come back but we showed we can play in difficult situations because being 2-0 down is not easy. We did well to turn it around and get the draw,” KT said.
Both sets of supporters have been left wondering why their team could be some dominant in one half of the match and absolutely overrun and second best in the other. “That’s what people will be saying is the frustrating thing, asking why it wasn’t done for the full 90 minutes. That’s something as players we need to correct and make sure we give ourselves the best chance.”
Celtic have ten league matches to play starting this evening at Pittodrie and there is practically no margin for error in what is going to be a fascinating but nerve wracking title run-in for FOUR sets of supporters. As things stand fans of Hearts, Motherwell and theRangers all join with Celtic supporters in dreaming that their team can win the title in this the strangest of campaigns.
“Every game now in the league is massive. You can’t really afford to slip up or you’ll find yourself further from the top. That would make it even harder than it is. We know that every game is massive now,” Tierney stated.
Remarkably Celtic haven’t suffered a defeat at Pittodrie in a decade and Aberdeen cannot be allowed to end that poor run of home results against the Hoops this evening. “We want to keep that run going but we don’t look too much into that,” KT said when told about the fine Celtic record at Pittodrie.
In recent weeks, including at Ibrox, it’s very much been the late, late show for Celtic will a series of last minute or stoppage time goals than have all combined to see Celtic stay in the Scottish Cup and also to keep our hopes of defending our title alive.
“It’s been a season full of ups and downs but we’ve stuck at it every time and people can see the fight that this team has,” KT said. “In games we probably haven’t played out best, we still give absolutely everything until the last minute. And those last minute goals have got us into this position we’re now in.
“Regardless of the situation, every week the game matters for Celtic, when you play at a club where the pressure is so high and demanding that every game matters, so it’s not new to us, maybe the situation is, with three or four different teams going for it, but the pressure of playing for Celtic is not new to us.”
Kieran Tierney also spoke to the broadcast media, with the Celtic fan media still banned by the Celtic Board. We’ll be there longer than them.
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