JAMES IS OUR IN THE PACK
JONNY HAYES reckons James Forrest is the scariest speed merchant in Scotland and is just the man to strike terror in Trondheim.
Celtic wideman Hayes might have a jetpack on his back but admits when he was at Aberdeen it was rapid rival Forrest who gave him nightmares when the pair went toe to toe.
The Hoops are looking for a flash of Champions League magic to leave Rosenborg in their wake and after surging past Sunderland on Saturday Hayes is convinced his new Parkhead pal is the man to show the Norwegians a clean pair of heels.
Forrest was a surprise starter up front in the 5-0 Stadium of Light slaughter and burned up the Black Cats as Callum McGregor slotted a superb hat-trick with Hayes and Stuart Armstrong notching in the morale-boosting friendly flaying.
The tonking was just the tonic
MICHAEL GANNON
m.gannon@dailyrecord.co.uk after strikerless Celts drew a blank against Rosenborg last week.
Leigh Griffiths faces a different kind of race for Wednesday’s return as the clock ticks on his chances of shaking off a calf injury in time to take on the Norse men.
But Hayes is convinced Forrest is ready to fire if Griff can’t get out of the starting blocks.
He said: “Whenever I dropped into left-back for Aberdeen, James was the only player in the league I was worried about doing me for pace on the outside.
“Even if you try to make it a foot race he’s got that intelligence to come in and he’s decent on his left foot.
“He’s the only player with pace I was ever worried about, although I don’t think Scotty Sinclair will be too happy to hear that.
“He’s got a terrific turn of pace, you can see that in the lead up to my goal. Inside, outside, I’ve always been a big admirer of him.”
Forrest is usually firing on the wing but it was up front he caught the eye against Sunderland, along with hat-trick hero McGregor and Eboue Kouassi.
Hayes said: “James was outstanding up front. Being a wide player, his movement was great. He moved the centre-halves and midfielders about the pitch.
“They didn’t know who was picking him up and when he dropped into the hole it gave me and Scotty a lot more freedom to get forward.
“He was outstanding and is a very underrated player. I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. He is a clever player as a winger. He knows when to keep the ball and is of the highest calibre, having been at Celtic for almost a decade.
“James kept Paddy Roberts out the team for a long time last year and that shows how good he is.
“On his day, nobody can touch him and if he goes and plays that role through the middle in midweek he can do more than just a job.
“He can score goals, create chances and do really well there for the team.”
Boss Brendan Rodgers would love to have Griff back on the pitch with Moussa Dembele out until September but Hayes is convinced Celtic can finish the job regardless of who is available.
The goalless draw in Glasgow has got nerves jangling but the winger reckons there’s no need to stress. Hayes said: “Obviously they had a couple of chances last week but we maybe had a bit of an off day. We are going over there fully confident.
“We are arguably better on the road because we have pace and can attack. There will be more onus on Rosenborg to come out and score a goal. If it’s 0-0 it goes down to pot luck.
“We have the slight advantage that if we score the opening goal it counts almost as double so we are confident we can go over there and score. If we do that in their backyard it’s going to make their task a little bit tougher.”
Celtic have the firepower but Hayes insisted they also have the mind over matter.
He said: “It’s just a winning mentality. Everyone saw that last
If he plays that role through the middle he can do more than just a job
JONNY HAYES