Water we fear most is taking a Celts tanking
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CRUNCH Celts eye Chelsea kid Kyle
ANDREW WATERWORTH admits he fears the worst for Linfield against Celtic.
But that won’t stop him trying his best to achieve the result of his career on Friday night.
The 31-year-old ex-Hamilton striker can’t wait to pit his wits against Brendan Rodgers, who makes an emotional return home to Belfast as his Invincibles take on David Healy’s Treble-winning side in Champions League qualifying.
Rodgers’ side slammed nine past Shamrock Rovers in Dublin on Saturday as Linfield were on the end of a 4-1 pasting from Hearts.
Those results have forced Linfield to face up to the reality of how difficult the tie will be.
Waterworth said: “Everybody thinks Linfield will probably get tanked against Celtic but you want to do the best for your team, your supporters and your club. You want to go out and give your all.
“I absolutely admire Brendan Rodgers as a manager and the football he plays is light years away from anything Celtic have had in a long time. That alone tells us that we will have to maximise our performance. We know how good we will have to be.
“As a team we will have to approach the game with caution but also with a bit of belief.
“We’re well aware of how big a club Celtic are and how big the task is. But we want to try to keep the scoreline down as much as we can.
“That’s not being negative but we don’t want to go out and give Celtic too much respect.
“We want to represent ourselves and the club as best we can. But it’s a scary prospect, especially when we know we’re facing a Celtic team managed by Rodgers.
“Linfield are a long way off being a full-time outfit but there are times when we can compete and ANDY WATERWORTH From Back Page out for up to three months with a knee injury.
Rodgers will cast his eye over the youngster after finalising a £4.5m move for Manchester City playmaker Ntcham.
The 21-year-old Frenchman last night posted a picture of green traffic lights on Instagram and said: “Once you see the green light cause upsets. However, Celtic are at a different level altogether.
“But I’ll certainly enjoy the experience. I’ve played in the Irish League most of my life.
“I will cherish the Celtic games and whatever the result I’m sure I’ll learn something from it.”
Waterworth has an extra incentive against Celtic. One goal would see him move level with Linfield’s all-time top Euro marksman Glenn Ferguson on five.
He said: “If I did score then first and foremost it would be a nice feeling. But this game is not about me and my personal records.
“My role will be not just about scoring goals but to be the first line of defence in a very disciplined performance.
“You do dream and if you didn’t have these kind of nice romantic moments then you wouldn’t be involved in the game.
“I don’t really even want to speculate about scoring against Celtic. I don’t want to allow myself to get carried away by thinking about things like that.”
Waterworth admits he never made the most of his short stint in Scottish football with Accies nine years ago, playing just 10 games and scoring one goal.
He said: “It was a good learning curve for me. I was a part-time, rural person coming to a full-time set-up. I was uneducated in football terms but I struggled as I was homesick too.
“I saw for myself how big Scottish football is.
“There was real history attached to the clubs and the passion of the fans was great.
“I always wanted to play at Celtic Park or Ibrox but I didn’t get that opportunity. Now I’ll get that chance in the return leg.” then you can go. In the starting block.”
The four-year deal should be done today and Celtic could have him on board in time for Friday’s Champions League clash with Linfield. Meanwhile, skipper Scott Brown is also expected to be fit for the trip to Belfast, despite limping off in Saturday’s 9-0 hammering of Shamrock Rovers.