A come back of the most poignant kind.

Just after 8.30pm on Wednesday at Celtic Park there was a moment which will live with me for some time.

The Hoops had a free kick in a perfect position for specialist Leigh Griffiths and the stadium held its collective breath as the striker began his run-up.

His strike saw the ball arc and dip perfectly over the wall and, almost before the visiting goalkeeper could move, it flew past him and bulged the net.

There was an eruption of noise as Griffiths wheeled away, thumped the corner flag in elation and sank to his knees. Only the most hard-hearted observer could have failed to have been touched by the occasion and, as he cupped his face in his hands, Griffiths’ teammates held back. Their normal reaction would have been to swamp the goalscorer but they all seemed to understand that he needed to be on his own for a second or two, relief and joy coursing through his body.

It was no surprise when the striker later admitted he had been moved almost to tears by the situation.

None of us knows what Leigh Griffiths has gone through over the past few months, but many of us can empathise and identify with the crippling and debilitating effects of a mental-health disorder.

At the pre-match news conference, Leigh had admitted that but for the help and support of friends and family he might not have been there to tell the tale.

This is a 28-year old man, apparently at the peak of his career,

and earning the sort of money most of the population can only dream about. But the illness he suffers from is no respecter of age, status or wealth and it has taken an almighty effort for him to get back to where he is today.

He is not cured. He never will be, but he does hopefully now have the tools to help him combat the condition and to keep it in check.

A fully fit, fully functioning Griffiths will be a massive bonus for club and country. He will have to take small steps, but goals like the one against Nomme Kalju will go a long way towards helping his rehabilitation.

The biggest positive to come out of the whole episode is that Leigh felt strong enough to talk openly and frankly about it. His manager Neil Lennon has done so in the past and would have been a source of help, as was Brendan Rodgers before his departure. Football as a whole is taking the problem much more seriously.

PFA Scotland offers support and there are a few other organisations which also do so. Clubs have strengthened their approach too following a number of heartbreaking stories in recent years and that is perhaps the most important breakthrough of all.

Back in the day, a player suffering from depression would have kept it bottled up. Any hint of such an issue would have been seen as a sign of weakness. That is no longer the case, and any young man who feels the blackness descend should now be able to turn to his manager, or someone else in authority, and get the backing he needs.

The sight of Leigh Griffiths on his knees in silent contemplation as Celtic Park exploded around him was a poignant one and hopefully the start of a brighter, less troubled future for one of the game’s richest talents.

What a comeback: Griffiths is overcome after scoring