JEREMIE HAS GIVEN ME YOUTHACHE
FORREST: Frimpong makes me feel old .. we knew straight away he’d be destined for a big future in football
HE doesn’t look much like a veteran. Those big puppy eyes still seem as full of wonderment as they did when he first walked into the first-team dressing room.
But after nine-and-a-half years of frontline service James Forrest – the Peter Pan of Celtic Park – is getting there slowly but surely.
And when 18-year-old full-backs are overlapping him down the touchline at Pittodrie on a Sunday afternoon, it doesn’t half make Forrest feel every one of his 28 years.
Jeremie Frimpong wasn’t even supposed to have made this breakthrough yet, recruited as he was on the last day of the summer transfer market with the promise of a bright future ahead.
But now this bundle of energy from Manchester City has burst on to the scene with such impact it feels as if his time has arrived.
In back-to-back league wins Frimpong has added youthful exuberance and dynamism to the all-round flamboyance of Neil Lennon’s new-look side.
And old man Forrest has relished watching him go.
“Yeah, I feel old,” he smiled yesterday when asked to discuss Frimpong’s explosive arrival.
“He is only 18 but he has done really well. He has settled in well and he’s a likeable guy.
“We signed him when we were on the international break and straight away in training I think he impressed everyone.
“He got man of the match in his first game against Partick Thistle and has played really well when he has come into the team but I don’t think any of the boys are too surprised because we
BY KEITH JACKSON have seen him in training. Outside maybe not that many people will have heard of him.
“But we could see his quality right away when he first came in. He is confident and it is a credit to him the way he has come in.”
And yet it doesn’t feel all that long ago when Forrest was the 18-year-old new boy in the squad.
Forrest nodded: “Yes, it is strange because I still feel young! Except I know I am one of the older ones now but it is great to see young boys coming through and making a statement.”
And what a statement. Not just from Frimpong but from a Celtic side that bounced up the A90 at the weekend on the back of that thrilling late Europa League win over Lazio.
Frimpong and Forrest were both on the scoresheet as the champions raced into a 4-0 firsthalf lead by playing Aberdeen off their own Pittodrie pitch.
Having experienced more ups than downs during his time at Celtic, Forrest gives off the impression this campaign could quickly develop into something of a high point.
He added: “It’s great to be involved in this team and you can see the confidence, collectively and individually.
“It shows with the results and the performances. Everyone is in a really good place and we are working hard.
“We want to stay in that place because of how much we are enjoying it.
“I don’t know if we made a statement on Sunday but it was important to get the win as we lost at Livingston off the back of our previous Europa League game against Cluj. So it was good to play well. It was a joy to play in and get the three points.
“It’s maybe unfair to criticise Aberdeen for their performance because we were all really at it.
“The games against them are always close but we were just really good and it was one of those days when everything came off.
“Look at my goal for example. I remember it was a really good move and it all happened so quick at the end. I was under a bit of pressure when I stepped on to it as I didn’t want to mess it up after all the boys had put so much effort into the move.
“I was just buzzing to score and put the finishing touch to such a good goal. That goal was maybe the icing on the cake for the way we played on Sunday.
“Home and away, it’s always tough against Aberdeen but we were still buzzing after Lazio.
“We were all at it and we didn’t give them a chance to get in the game. The first half was unbelievable but we can’t get too carried away as we have another game soon. It can all change quickly so we need to keep our levels high.”
And Forrest admits the knowledge Rangers are snapping away at Celtic’s ankles and providing them with a proper title challenge is helping to keep minds focused.
He said: “That’s spot on. It makes you raise your game when the league is really tight.
“You know you can’t afford to put in a bad performance because you don’t want to be chasing.
“That keeps you on your toes when you come off the back of a European or cup game. You know you need to come back and get a result in the league.
“It is always tough. We are never going to think that because we have won the league before it makes it easier.
“You have to earn it every time and put in the right performances to make sure you are there at the end of the season.
“You see our performances in the last two league games after the Livingston defeat and it is probably the best two that we have put in the league. You don’t want to fall behind, you want to be setting the pace.”
James Forrest was promoting a new three-year partnership between Celtic and Spanish hotel group BeCordial, who will also become the new shorts sponsors of the club’s women’s team.
JAMES FORREST