Matt’s motto at Celtic is to Keep Calm and Carry On

FROM the moment Adam Idah inadvertently directed the ball into his own net to the last blast of the referee’s whistle, the visiting fans housed behind Joe Hart’s goal at Dens Park may well have felt like they aged several years.

This tightest of title races may well be riveting entertainment for the neutral. Those with a large emotional stake in the outcome could question what pleasure they are currently deriving from it.

If Sunday’s Old Firm double-bill at Paisley and Dundee saw fingernails bitten to the quick, the prospect of a last-day shoot-out for the big prize probably doesn’t bear thinking about.

While frayed nerves in the stands are entirely understandable, any side that becomes consumed with anxiety across the coming four games can probably kiss goodbye to their hopes of crossing the winning line first.

In that regard, Celtic may have good reason to take a degree of comfort from the demeanour of Matt O’Riley as the end game in all this approaches.

Although acutely aware of the sky-high stakes that are on the table across the next month, the only beads of sweat on the 23-year-old’s brow will be a consequence of honest endeavour.

‘I definitely have a sense of responsibility on the pitch,’ said the Danish international after being nominated for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award. ‘I’ve never been a guy that shouts at my team-mates. I try to lead by being pretty calm and reflecting that in the changing room.

‘Naturally, we have some people who like to speak a lot in the changing room. I like to show it’s okay to be calm and relaxed. I think that helps as it can rub off on other people.

‘That’s my role — especially at this time in the season when you have important games and penalty shoot-outs and stuff. Giving that calm aura definitely helps.’

Ibrox earlier this month provided a case in point. Leading through Daizen Maeda’s first-minute goal, a VAR-awarded penalty gave Celtic the chance to cement their advantage before the break.

After an interminable wait to spot the ball, the jeers of 50,000 Rangers supporters left O’Riley completely unruffled.

As Jack Butland committed himself to one side, the Celtic man’s deft chip sailed straight down the middle. Audacious didn’t quite cover it.

‘I would say I’ve always been calm, maybe not as much as I am now, I have more experience,’ he added. ‘I didn’t plan it. Doing the work just prepares you for these situations. I was pretty set on doing that, to be honest. I was quite confident Jack Butland was going to dive and, fortunately, he did.

‘If he didn’t, it would have been a different story! I can laugh about it now… I felt relaxed and confident about it at the time.

‘Thankfully it went in. I genuinely wasn’t thinking it was brave or anything. I just felt that was the best decision in that moment.

‘It sounds strange, but I really wasn’t nervous, purely because I was so mentally prepared.’

There will assuredly be more defining moments like that to come before the identity of this title winner is known.

The manner in which Celtic ticked off a tricky assignment on Tayside was always of secondary importance. All that truly counted was that they did. Coming immediately after Rangers narrowly prevailed against St Mirren, another three points for Brendan Rodgers’ side felt hugely significant. A victory at home to Hearts this Saturday will guarantee them nothing, but it will leave the Ibrox side with next to no margin for error.

‘That is the plan,’ said O’Riley. ‘It’s easier said than done — and that’s why we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We lost to Hearts the last time at home, so we need to be focused and can’t be thinking about the next one.

‘We are in the position where we want to be, and the squad is in a good place as well. We have players back and Daizen Maeda is hopefully training this week, too. The squad is strong.’

O’Riley has learned to live in and savour the moment. Just as the speculation surrounding a move to Atletico Madrid in January had to be boxed away, so — for now — must thoughts of playing for Denmark at the Euros.

‘Genuinely, I’m doing my best to try to not think about any of that if I’m honest,’ he insisted.

‘This has to be a lot of my focus for the last couple of months and I think that’s why performance has been in a good place for a while.

‘The more noise you have in your head, the less it helps and if I want to do the best job I can for Celtic, I just need to focus on Celtic.’