FORREST FACES LATE RACE FOR FITNESS AHEAD OF DERBY AT IBROX
IT is a sign of James Forrest’s importance to Celtic that they will give him until the last possible moment to make their starting XI for Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie against Rangers, with the winger still struggling with the injury he picked up against Livingston last weekend.
Forrest, who has just returned from a six-month injury layoff, was forced from the action just before the hour in the 6-0 Celtic Park stroll, suffering from stiffness in his back.
Interim manager John Kennedy said after the match the winger was taken off as a precaution, but he is still far from certain to be passed fit for the trip to Ibrox. For Kennedy though, he is well worth waiting for, having restored balance to the Celtic attack since his recent return from the foot problem that wrote off much of his season.
Kennedy told Celtic TV: “We will monitor James as the week progresses. He is probably the type of player we will give right to the last minute.
“We will see how he goes during the week, we will get treatment into him and we will progress that and make a decision nearer the game.”
The pot normally does not require much stirring leading up to any Old Firm game, but Kennedy obliged in any case over the weekend as he declared Celtic the best team in Scotland despite the Premiership title being ripped from their hands in emphatic fashion by Rangers.
Kennedy’s comments were referring more to the individual quality Celtic have within their squad rather than claiming they have been the best-performing team over the course of the campaign though, and he hopes to provide a framework for his players to vindicate his views when the theory is tested at Ibrox.
“It’s how we perform,” he said. “So the performance will bring a result. Of course, you have to have a real mental resilience and drive and deal with the pressure in-game. You have to have a framework.
“The players know how they are approaching the game, they know how they had success in the previous game, we know how to address little issues we’ve had in previous games.
“Then it’s about having belief and faith going into the game with that comfort – then carry out the game plan.
“Individual quality always come through in games like this. You might need someone to pop up with a goal out of
nothing, a bit of magic. But we have to be solid, we have to be organised. We have to be on the front foot and aggressive – that’s when we play at our best.
“And from there hopefully the goals start to come.”
A win against Rangers would round off a positive week for Celtic in which centre-back Stephen Welsh committed his long-term future to the club in what has proven to be his breakout season in the first team.
The 21-year-old defender signed a new deal on Tuesday which will keep him at the club until 2025, and having come through a similar path himself, Kennedy is delighted to see Welsh grasping his opportunity.
“I have known him a long time,” he said. “I have seen him being a young player at the academy and progress through. He has a terrific attitude, a real will to learn and work and it is no surprise he has gone in and done well.
“He has made himself a very important player for us which is a big benefit to us and he wants to commit his future to the club, which is good news for all. He deserves it. Again, you need a break at times and he has had a couple of opportunities but he has merited it.
“Everybody’s path is different as a young player. They are all so eager to do well and get in as quickly as they possibly can, but you also have to trust the process and sometimes it comes sooner, depending on your development, other times you have to be patient.
“Stephen is certainly one of those who has had to be patient but when the opportunity has come he has certainly taken it with both hands.”
The importance of progress in the Scottish Cup on both a collective and a personal level is not lost on Kennedy, with Celtic hoping to salvage some silverware from a desperately disappointing campaign, and the interim manager hoping to strengthen his case to land the job on a full-time basis.
It is no surprise to learn then that he is leaving nothing to chance ahead of Sunday’s game, preparing the players for the prospect of the tie going all the way by practicing penalties.
“We always do,” he said. “We make sure we don’t miss anything out. Certainly we hope it doesn’t get to that point, we would like to go and win the game in 90 minutes, but you have to prepare for everything.
“Certainly at some point in the week we will take that into account.”