JONNY BE GOOD

Hayes delighted to get the chance to show the Celtic fans his quality under Neil Lennon after he found opportunities hard to come by after his £1m Dons transfer

JONNY HAYES is relishing being back on the prowl at Parkhead and revealed his young son has gone from the safari to big-game hunter.

The Celtic winger’s four-year-old, Jackson, missed the Hampden roar in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final win as he was out watching wildlife instead.

But with his dad being let loose by Neil Lennon, Hayes admitted his kid is already going wild at the prospect of seeing his old man winning silverware in next month’s Final against Hearts. The former Aberdeen star spent months out after a broken leg but has battled back to fitness. Hayes produced a star turn against his old club and revealed his big pre-match team pep talk didn’t come from his manager.

He said: “My wife sent me a video message just before the game and it was the little fella saying, ‘Make sure you win, I want to go to the final’. She had taken him to the safari park for the day. “That was probably the biggest pressure I’ve had in a game, thinking about him! I walked in the door on Sunday evening and he was sitting there in his Celtic kit ready to go five weeks early. He’s four and Celtic daft. He’ll definitely be there, he’s guaranteed a ticket.”

Hayes is so happy to be back on the pitch after his lengthy spell in the stands and the 30-year-old is making the most of his chance again.

He said: “Football, first and foremost, is about enjoyment.

“We’re in a resultsdriven business and are under pressure to win every week but it’s always more enjoyable when you’re in the team. It’s a sign that the manager has a bit of trust in me and that gives me confidence.

“I don’t think you’ll see a stronger bench in Scotland than ours and that’ll be the case for the foreseeable future due to the quality we have.

“The previous manager [Brendan Rodgers, above] built a 30-strong squad so that any one of us can step in and play when required.

“You can see how strong the togetherness is when we win trophies. Everyone celebrates together and no one is left out. It’s never been about the 11 or the 14 who get on the pitch.

“I’ve been back there for the last couple of games but I can’t remember the last time I played as a left-winger before that.

“I’m just happy to be involved at all, especially after coming back from injury. Any chance to play anywhere is good. When you’re picked to play in big games it gives you the belief that you’re doing something right.

“One of the things I have to give our manager credit for is he’s given us a little more freedom. You still need to go out and produce of course, you can’t keep losing the ball, but he encourages you to make things happen.

“But you better make sooner rather than later!”

Hayes won’t let results elsewhere affect Celtic this weekend either. Any slip-up from Rangers will set up the chance to win the league against Hibs at Easter Road on Sunday. But Hayes said: “I know but regardless of how other teams get on we’ve just got to worry about ourselves.”

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