GRIFF JUST GLAD TO BE BACK

Celts striker plays down talk of rift with Rodgers...

LEIGH GRIFFITHS has insisted he wants to focus purely on his football after winning his way back into the Hoops team this weekend.

The Scotland internationalist replaced Moussa Dembele during Saturday’s routine 2-0 win over Hamilton Accies, his first appearance since Rodgers publicly criticised him for his off-field behaviour, insisting that the player needed to look after himself off the pitch if he wants to be at his best on it.

Griffiths has been sidelined with a calf injury since the end of January, the latest in a catalogue of small niggles that Rodgers attributed to not properly looking after himself. Rodgers also alluded to the fact that he felt Griffiths could work harder in training.

The public nature of the comments was not lost on Griffiths but the striker insisted he was happy just to get back to business.

“Everybody has been talking about if there is a rift between me and the gaffer

because of what he said but it is great to be back on the pitch, back among the boys and back in the matchday squad,” Griffiths told Celtic TV.

“It is great. Being injured is so frustrating.”

The player missed a chance to put Celtic further ahead with a chance late in the game on Saturday but he is confident that there will be further chances to add to his goal tally as the campaign progresses.

Griffiths netted 40 goals last year as he took the Player of the Year award but it has been a stop-start campaign throughout this season due to injury and the form of Moussa Dembele, who netted his 29th goal of the season with a brace against Hamilton Accies.

“Earlier in the season it would probably have come off but I am just lacking a bit of match fitness just now,” said Griffiths. “Hopefully in the coming weeks I will get more and more game time and I am back amongst the goals.”

Meanwhile, Erik Sviatchenko has insisted that Celtic are adamant they won’t be distracted by any talk of a potential Treble.

The Hoops play Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Highlands on Wednesday night before hosting St Mirren on Scottish Cup duty on Sunday afternoon.

“We all have the confidence, even those of us who are not playing all the time,” said the Danish defender. “We have the togetherness and we just want to keep going and winning.”