Morris relishes true test of defence

ROSS COUNTY defender Callum Morris is relishing the prospect of a busy encounter against Celtic.

Neil Lennon’s side are on a five-match winning run ahead of tomorrow’s Premiership contest against the bottom club in Dingwall.

But former Dundee United and Dunfermline centre-back Morris would rather be challenged than face a quiet evening.

“I enjoy it when your back’s against the wall,” the 31-yearold said. “Personally, I probably play better when it’s like that. Against St Mirren when we went down to nine men, I enjoyed that game even though we got beat. You are just emergency defending for the duration.

“The games where you are tested are always the best in my eyes. I don’t think it’s beneficial to anyone if you are cruising about. If you are not switched on, you are liable to make mistakes.

“I know when I have played in the Championship or at other clubs, when you are dominating the ball and not under much pressure, that was probably one of my biggest weaknesses as a younger player.”

David Turnbull was the match-winner for Celtic on Wednesday against Aberdeen and striker Odsonne Edouard has stepped up a gear in recent weeks, hitting eight goals in his last seven appearances.

Again, Morris is looking forward to the test of facing the France Under-21 internationalist.

“He’s a top player, you don’t get linked with the top teams in Europe if you’re not a top player,” the defender said. “But they are the sort of players you want to play against. Any player in this division wants to pit themselves against the top players that the likes of Rangers and Celtic have and put in a good performance.

“If anything, you lift your game when you play against players like this.

“He is obviously a handful, he has got a lot to his game, but it’s a challenge everyone is going to relish. You have to look at it as a positive. It’s going to be great, they are the kind of players you want to play against.”