HWARD LEESSOLNS LEARN AND BOUNCEBACK
STEPHEN WELSH was still in primary school the last time Celtic failed to win the title and and the defender reckons some painful lessons need to be learned from this term.
The youngster is gutted the Hoops have failed the examination for 10 in a row after a decade of dominance.
Welsh was just 11 the last time Celtic came up short in the title race and he admitted his high school days were a breeze as his club hoovered up trophies each season.
And he said: “I’ve been at the club since I was seven or eight so it’s a massive achievement to be playing in the first team.
“My family are all Celtic fans, they’ve had season tickets as long as I can remember.
“It’s been complete dominance while I was growing up. When I was going through high school we were winning leagues every single year. It was just expected.
“But there were always going to be disappointments and we have to deal with it in the right way and bounce back as quickly as we can.”
Welsh is looking to next term but he wants a big finish to this year with pride at stake in the league and the Scottish Cup still up for grabs.
The centre-back wants an unbeaten end to the campaign – starting in this weekend’s Old Firm showdown.
Welsh told the Celtic View podcast said: “It’s more about playing for pride in the league and we need to win every on of our remaining games and put a statement down.
“The cup is a trophy we need to go and win. We’ve had a great run with four in a row and hopefully we can do it again.
“It’ll be massive to end a difficult season on a high.”
Welsh has been hurt this term but he’s also relished making the breakthrough to the first team and he’s determined to remain in the side for the rest of the year and beyond.
He said: I’ve been getting games consistently since the turn of the year so that’s been pleasing for me personally.
“But it has been a disappointing season. We all know that and all take responsibility.
“The results have not been good enough, especially with the high standards we set as a club.
“It’s been good to make the breakthrough as so few manage to do it. I’ve played a few games this season and want to kick on.
“It’s a great privilege. You need to be professional and take the emotion out of being a fan.
“You need to go out and do your job but it makes it more special you are doing it for your club.”