NO SYMPATHY IN THIS CLASH
Roberts knows the feeling of missing a golden derby chance... now he seeks Hampden redemption
TO call it sympathy would be stretching the point. Nevertheless, Patrick Roberts admits he can relate to how Alfredo Morelos must have been feeling at the end of last month’s Old Firm game at Ibrox. Presented with a golden chance to tap in a late equaliser from three yards, the Colombian striker shunted his finish off the post and at full-time looked bereft as Celtic celebrated a 3-2 win.
An unused substitute on the day, Roberts was happy to cavort in front of the Celtic fans housed in the Broomloan Stand but there was no question of him gloating over the fate that had befallen the young Colombian.
The winger had, after all, endured a very similar experience on his first exposure to the fixture. Recently turned 19 and freshly signed on loan from Manchester City, Roberts was selected by Ronny Deila for the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers in 2016 and missed an open-goal opportunity as Celtic trailed to a Kenny Miller goal.
Although he was further out and at a slight angle, Roberts missed by a greater margin when he splayed the ball wide after Leigh Griffiths’ shot bounced back off the post and gave him time to size up his open goal.
Just as with Morelos, the miss was to prove pivotal as Celtic were taken to penalties and duly knocked out.
‘You try to forget about it but I couldn’t get away from it,’ he admits. ‘It’s hard because people still remember it now, but I don’t really care about it now.
‘It’s in the past and you have to move on and look forward.
‘It can be quite daunting, it’s a massive game and a huge moment at the time. If we went on to win, it might have been different, but we went on to lose.
‘I probably had too much time to think but next time it will be in the net, I’ve said that before.
‘Did I have any sympathy (for Morelos)? No. I could relate to it, but no sympathy. We went there to win, just as Rangers did in the semi-final against us, so they would have been delighted I missed. It happens.
‘As a footballer, you feel a bit of sympathy but in terms of the game, no, I’m glad we won.’
Rangers’ top scorer for the season, Morelos is yet to score against Celtic and was also guilty of missing a headed chance as the teams drew 0-0 at Parkhead in late December.
Roberts believes the experience could make Morelos a more dangerous prospect today but time has taught him the importance of composure in a fixture surrounded by hype and hysteria.
‘You want to make amends but you can try too hard and it can go the other way,’ he acknowledges. ‘You just have to be mentally focused and concentrate on the game. ‘Anybody can be dangerous. It’s whether or not we are on our game. We determine what the team’s like. If we’re right at it, most teams can’t handle us.’ Roberts may be irked by this latest mention of one errant swipe at the ball 24 months ago but accepts the context for discussion. If truth be told, he has done more than enough since to not only redeem himself in the eyes of Celtic supporters but emerge as a real favourite. His initial loan carried him through Celtic’s Invincible campaign under Brendan Rodgers and the adulation he received from the stands was a major factor in convincing him to push for a further year in Glasgow.
Handed the club’s iconic No 7 jersey, the stage was set for the 21-year-old to star this term but injuries have restricted him to a meagre tally of 11 starts.
Roberts initially damaged his hamstring in October but was deemed fit enough to feature from the bench in Celtic’s League Cup final victory over Motherwell four weeks later.
He lasted barely ten minutes of Celtic’s match against the same opponents at Fir Park and a stricter, more pragmatic approach was taken towards his rehab, with Manchester City taking a more hands-on role.
Roberts had hoped to be back in time for Celtic’s Europa League clash against Zenit St Petersburg in February but City stood firm. The player understood but can be forgiven for feeling he has never quite got going this season. ‘Obviously I’m still City’s player, so they need to control what happens,’ he says. ‘Celtic did all they could to get me back but City had the final say on when I was ready. ‘I went to Barcelona to see their medical staff and had to get a final check-up from them before I was allowed to play.
‘It was important to get that all-clear to know that I was absolutely ready. I’ve had that injury a few times, so I needed to be right this time.
‘It’s been frustrating. To be out for three or four months having already missed a month before that — that’s a quite a length of time to be missing football.
‘The game at Hamilton was a long time coming. I’d had a few games
off the bench to help my match fitness but it was important to get a start, so I can kick on from there.’
James Forrest has stepped up in Roberts’ absence and had such a good run of form that he is being discussed as a potential Player of the Year winner.
Both players prefer to operate on the right flank but while Forrest is all pace and running power, Roberts is a throwback to the days when wide players would dribble their way to goal.
That early blip notwithstanding, he has particularly enjoyed playing at Hampden and hopes to be involved today, even if that will most probably be as a substitute.
‘I enjoy playing at Hampden, it’s a big old pitch,’ he states. ‘You get a lot of space to run in behind and have the ball. The league games are tight and a bit hectic, whereas at Hampden it’s big, open and we play good football there. It will make for an exciting game.
‘My favourite moment there would be when Tom (Rogic) scored to win us the Treble. I was right behind him when it went in, so that was nice.’
It’s a tribute to Celtic’s consistency under Rodgers that the team stands just a few steps short of completing back-to-back Trebles, something that has never been achieved before.
‘Last season was a freak season with the Invincibles and the Treble,’ adds Roberts. ‘It was one of the best seasons I’ll ever have and the same goes for most of the boys.
‘To emulate that... teams don’t want you to do it again, they are trying to beat you and we’ve lost a couple of times this season.
‘Every time they play us, they give their all to stop us winning, so it’s testimony to our character and our willingness to keep winning, in the cup games as well.
‘You can never get tired of winning. We keep mentally strong and focused and have the will to win, no matter who we play.’