Despite his Danish failure, Forrest is staying fired up
James Forrest reckons Celtic may yet look back on their early Champions League exit as the start of something great.
The Scotland winger had a frustrating night in Denmark, missing a great chance to score what could have been a decisive goal.
“The result the other night was bad,” Forrest admitted.
“But you’re going to get bad moments as a player, and as a team. It is how you come back from it that matters.
“Missing chances is just part and parcel of the game. Sometimes things don’t go right for you.
“I would not use fitness as an excuse because I felt good during the game. The fact just is you can always miss chances.
“Of course, it wasn’t ideal when they scored straight after it. That’s what made it hurt a bit more.
“But over the two legs, there were moments in both games where we could have done better, and scored more goals.
“That’s where we have to be more clinical for the games coming up in the league, and in Europe.
“When some people look back, they just think you’ve been continuously winning. But you can’t win every game, and every trophy.
“You do get dips, and sometimes they help you respond, and come back stronger.
“The good thing is that at Celtic, there are always big games coming up quickly. That means there is no time to feel sorry for yourself. You have to pick yourself up, and get back at it.”
As a one-club man, the 30-year-old talks with the experience of having been through plenty of European disappointments.
“There have been loads of ups and downs for me at Celtic over the years, and that certainly wasn’t how we wanted to go out – or start with the new manager,” Forrest continued.
“But we’ve got a lot of good players and staff here, who are close together. So we’ll overcome it.
“We have to stay positive, keep our heads up and try to look forward now.”
Thursday’s match against FK Jablonec offers an obvious place to start.
“The tie is really important because Celtic needs to be in Europe. All the players want to be in it,” said Forrest.
“There are still some very good teams in the Europa League. It’s important that we’re in there, and that is what we’re aiming for now.”
“Everyone knows we’re rebuilding right now. But it’s important that we stick together.
“I definitely want to be part of it, and get back to winning things.
“I still have the hunger and desire. I’ve won a lot here, and last year at Celtic wasn’t good, either for me personally, or the club as a whole.”