THE GENERATION GAME
Montgomery was a baby when Larsson struck in Seville but is now thrilled to have made his own big impact in Spanish city
TO those Celtic fans who remember Seville and the 2003 UEFA Cup final like it was yesterday, the words of Adam Montgomery are like a cold splash of water to the face. A starter on the club’s return to the Spanish city on Thursday night, Montgomery reflects on the fact he was an 11-month-old baby on the night of Henrik Larsson’s two headed goals and the heartbreak caused by Porto and their agitative manager Jose Mourinho.
Since signing for the club’s academy, he’s had plenty opportunity to immerse himself in Hoops history and, whether training at Lennoxtown or on match-days at Celtic Park, he is surrounded by images of that pilgrimage to Andalucia.
For Montgomery, Seville will first and foremost be remembered as the scene of his first Celtic start. And, having shown up well in what ultimately ended in a 4-3 Europa League defeat to Real Betis, he can be pleased with how his own story is unfolding.
‘It all felt a bit surreal, running out to start against Betis in that amazing stadium of theirs,’ admits the 19-year-old. ‘When you are coming up through all the age levels, it is the thought of playing in big games in these sort of surroundings that inspires you.
‘It is something you dream about for years and years, so to actually be doing it takes a bit of adjustment.
‘I am obviously too young to remember anything about Celtic going to Seville in 2003 for the UEFA Cup final but you can’t come through the club and not know everything about that run.
‘It is a different ground but you are coming back to the same city where Henrik Larsson and all the others represented the club.
‘It is something you dream about — to actually be doing it takes a bit of mental adjustment.’
Given the absence of so many senior players, manager Ange Postecoglou can be thankful for the presence of Montgomery.
Utilised twice by John Kennedy during his stint as caretaker towards the end of last season, Montgomery had been converted into a left-back after spending much of his younger days at left wing.
Yet with James Forrest, Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi and Mikey Johnston all absent for different reasons, the youngster was deployed in his original position against Betis.
He performed impressively, offering an outlet and a threat on the left flank alongside an ability to tuck in and supplement Josip Juranovic, himself operating out of position to compensate for an injury to Greg Taylor.
‘I had been involved against Midtjylland and Alkmaar in the previous rounds, so I had experience of European football, but Betis is another level,’ he says. ‘I watch La Liga and have seen them competing with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
‘The manager told me just to be myself, to forget the occasion and focus on playing my normal game, so that is exactly what I did.
‘I think I did okay, too. I tried to get on the ball whenever I could and make good use of it when I did.
‘Obviously, the result was not the one we wanted because we lost the game but I think there were a lot of positives to take.
‘We have gone to the home of one of the top teams in Spain and scored three goals. Not a lot of sides would be able to do that. And I think we could have had more because we created a lot of chances.
‘We wanted to take the game to them from the first whistle and we did that. They struggled to cope with us early on, with Jota, in particular, causing their defence all sorts of problems.’
A fast start saw Celtic hog possession and claim early goals through Albian Ajeti’s poacher’s finish and a Juranovic penalty.
Yet old failings came to the fore as Betis scored twice before half-time and grabbed another two soon after the break.
Top seeds Bayer Leverkusen are next to visit Glasgow in European action and, unsullied by the setbacks of the past, Montgomery is relishing the challenge.
‘We are still quite a new side with the likes of Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josip Juranovic all bedding in,’ he adds. ‘The more you play alongside guys, the better the understanding you develop of their game, so I am sure we will only get better and better as the season goes on.
‘And the great thing about the other night being a group game is that we still have lots of time to make an impact.
‘There are games to play against Leverkusen and Ferencvaros plus, of course, the visit of Real Betis to Celtic Park. That should be a great night.’
After the heat of Seville, Celtic today face the more austere surroundings of Livingston’s Almondvale Stadium and its plastic pitch.
Celtic have failed to win in West Lothian in any of the last three seasons since Livingston’s promotion but, again, Montgomery has no reason to look back.
‘Livingston will be a very different challenge, a different size of stadium, a different surface and it will likely be a different type of game.
‘I know quite a few don’t like the plastic pitches but it is not something that bothers me at all.
‘I played on artificial surfaces coming through the academy at Celtic and always enjoyed playing on them just as I would on grass.
‘They are a very competitive side and will be out to make things as uncomfortable for us as they possibly can. We will be ready for that.’
Postecoglou’s risk and reward approach makes Celtic an exciting watch — according to Montgomery, it’s just as entertaining to be out there under the Australian’s tutelage.
‘I am delighted with the way the season has been going for me,’ he says. ‘Having got involved a bit last year, my aim was to make this a breakthrough season if I could. Thankfully, that is the way it has been going so far.
‘The gaffer has been absolutely great with me and I am loving the football we are playing.
‘If we can keep this up, I think we are going to score an awful lot of goals this season.
‘People say we are fun to watch. I promise you it is also a lot of fun to play in this team.’
‘IT FELT A BIT SURREAL STARTING AGAINST A CLUB LIKE REAL BETIS’