FRASER FORSTER yesterday re-lived the night Celtic beat Lazio at Celtic Park and described those two wonderful saves that ensured that the Italians would get nothing from their trip to Paradise, as among the best moments of his career.
Those saves gave ‘The Wall’ plenty of satisfaction and confirmed to him that he was back playing at the level that he’d missed for 18 months out in the cold at Southampton.
“I actually thought the save before the one everyone was talking about was the better save. For me, given the circumstances and the timing in the game — it was pretty much the last kick — everything around it made it a bigger save than it was. It’s nice to make them,” Forster told the Media yesterday at the launch of the Celtic Festival 2020, as reported by Scottish Sun.
“When you chat about appreciating playing again and whatever, that moment is up there with the best in my career. Off the back of the previous 18 months, it was a moment when you think, ‘That’s why you play football’.
“Given the 18 months before, stuff I’d had to deal with, that was probably the first moment when I fully realised what I’d been missing. It’s impossible to say how good that feeling is. Just adrenaline, relief, a feeling you are back.
“It’s hard to describe how it is. It’s like when a striker is asked how it feels to score. You don’t get that feeling in any other aspect of life. Just given the previous 18 months, to have that feeling back was something very special.
“If I could pick one feeling out of my whole career, that would probably be the moment I appreciate the most,” the Celtic keeper, on loan from Southampton for the season, said.
He’s certainly enjoying being back at Celtic and yesterday confirmed that there would be no early return to St Mary’s. Forster is here for the season at least and you get the impression that he fancies making the move ‘back home’ permanent. Stevie Woods, the Celtic goalkeeping coach is certainly doing his bit to ensure that The Wall is getting back to his awesome best.
“I don’t know what it is about the place, there are a lot of good people at the club. I work with a lot of good people. The manager has been brilliant with me and I am working with a great goalkeeping coach in Stevie Woods.
“I just love being here, I just enjoy it. Stevie understands players. His sessions are great but I think he understands the mental side of the game too. He knows what makes each player tick. He’s worked with some incredible keepers during his time here.
“He has a fantastic record. He just knows how to get the best out of the players he’s working with — and he’s definitely up there with the best I have worked with. He took me from a League One keeper and turned me into an England international.
“He is always there, he is always willing to work with you and nothing is ever too much trouble for him. He’s fantastic to have around and I have been very fortunate to spend a lot of my career working with him. He does a lot of work on the opposition too, he’s very thorough in what he does, he’s a great sounding board and he’s always there for me.
‘I am just happy at the moment, I am enjoying my football again. It’s like anything in life, if you feel a bit of love and you enjoy going to work, it’s going to bring more out of you. I’m enjoying my time here.”
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