The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Confidence is high in both camps
No ’Well inferiority complex as Celtic chase double treble
James Forrest stands on the brink of history, having shown as much tenacity as talent during his remarkably successful Celtic career.
The winger came through the youth system at Parkhead and his first William Hill Scottish Cup final win was as a teenage substitute against Motherwell in 2011, replacing Kris Commons with nine minutes remaining of the 3-0 win.
Since then Forrest, now 26, has seen off a long list of challengers to his spot, establishing himself at club level and also with Scotland while gathering seven Ladbrokes Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and three Betfred Cups along the way.
Victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park today would secure an unprecedented successive domestic treble and Forrest acknowledged that he has battled hard over the years to be able to keep playing his part.
He said: “When I broke through there were a lot of big players and international players you were fighting against to play in the team and I don’t think that has ever changed.
“There’s always been a lot of players in my position and you just need to keep working hard and doing as well as you can to stay in the team.
“Every trophy win for Celtic is massive. You just want to win the next one and we are looking forward to Saturday.
“I really enjoyed last season, with the invincible treble and this season we have kicked on and it has been even better.
“If we can do it on Saturday that would just top it off. It would be an incredible achievement.”
Forrest, his team-mates and the Celtic faithful also have the confidence of Brendan Rodgers’ Hampden Park record.
The Northern Irishman has won every one of his seven appearances at the national stadium since he took over at Celtic in 2016.
“Every time we have played there since the manager has come in we have won and that gives us great confidence going into the game on Saturday,” said Forrest.
“He has always said that Hampden will suit us, it is a big pitch so go there and play the way we play every other pitch.
“We had a couple of good performances and results and you take that confidence into the next one.
“You know when you are at Hampden you are in a final or semi-final and that’s where you want to be.
“We are not getting carried away. “In a one-off game it can be hard and we need to make sure we turn up with the right attitude and make sure we are at it right from the first minute to the last because, as teams have shown this season, we can be beaten.
“If we turn up with the right attitude, hopefully we can do it.”
Fir Park captain Carl McHugh aims to repay a Motherwell fan who regaled him of past glories by giving every supporter a day they will never forget.
The Irishman underwent emergency dental treatment to the backdrop of tales of the Motherwell team who last lifted the Scottish Cup in 1991.
The memories helped ease the pain of McHugh’s spell in the dentist’s chair and reinforced the midfielder’s determination to bring the trophy back to the Lanarkshire town for a third time.
McHugh has seen the community’s spirits lifted and he aims to raise them even further today.
“It’s great for the whole town, it gives the people the chance to get out and have something to look forward to,” said the former Bradford player, who has lost League Cup finals in England and Scotland.
“We are just focusing on trying to go one better and give them something to really celebrate and of which they can be proud.
“I got one of my teeth knocked out at Ross County. The dentist was a big Motherwell fan, and he was telling me about ’91 and all that. He was in Dortmund as well in the UEFA Cup.
“It was great to hear those experiences and it would be great for all of the people in the town.”
Manager Stephen Robinson has made a concerted effort to boost the connection between fans and players, and his efforts to bond a revamped squad together, starting with a pre-season trip to Ireland, have come to fruition.
When asked what the squad’s main strength was, McHugh said: “I think it’s togetherness. We are really willing to work hard for each other. That can take you places in football. The dressing room is the best I have been involved in.
“It would be the highlight of my career to win the cup and it would be really special to do it with that group of players as well, because it’s a pleasure to train and play with them every day.
“Every week that goes on we learn more about each other and we have become well-drilled.”
Motherwell have drawn twice with Celtic since losing 2-0 to the treblechasing Hoops in the Betfred Cup final in November, and McHugh feels they have a real chance of upsetting the odds.
“We’re really confident,” the 25-yearold said. “We are working towards a game plan where we can go and beat Celtic.
“We can take a lot out of the games we have played (against them) this season. There wasn’t a lot in the League Cup final and we can take positives out of that.
“We know we are going to have to be right at the top of our game to beat them but if we all do that and all come together then we are confident we can.
“We’ve beaten Aberdeen and Rangers in two semi-finals at Hampden so we have been there and won big games. But it’s going to come down to what performance we put out on the day. We can’t think of games gone by, we have to focus on Saturday.”