Lille tie marked Turnbull’s
David Turnbull has every reason to relish the prospect of facing Real Betis in the Europa League this week.
It’s the competition where he overcame an uncertain start following his £3 million move from Motherwell, and established himself as a mainstay in the Celtic midfield.
He had only made one start for the Parkhead side before they faced Lille in the final match of the group stage last December.
Although it was a meaningless game – Celtic had no chance of qualifying– scoring the winner in a 3-2 victory, and turning in an impressive performance, was a massive boost for Turnbull.
It was a night where he proved he was worthy of wearing the Hoops.
A lot has changed since then. There’s a new manager in Ange Postecoglou, and the only players who started that match and have featured this term are Turnbull, Callum Mcgregor and Ismaila Soro.
The 22-year-old said: “I don’t think I’ve looked back since that game.
“I’d had one or two chances coming on as a sub but, yes, I would say after that I felt more that I was part of the team.
“That was good, and having been able to bed myself in, I’m delighted with that.
“We went in knowing we were out of the group stages, so it was just about going to try to prove a point.
“I felt we did that. It was a great night. Hopefully we can have more.
“There’s not a lot of boys left from the game, but I’m happy I stuck it out.
I’ve pretty much kept myself in the team for every game since then.
“I’m happy to have done that, and I hope to keep making that position my own.
“The turnaround has been massive, and all the boys who have come in have been brilliant. It has been a good challenge to us all.”
Turnbull says he’s looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere generated at the Estadio Benito Villamarín in Seville when they face Betis.
He is a man who looks at new opponents as a chance to improve as a footballer.
“Every game adds to your experience, and I try to look at it that way throughout my life,” he went on.
“You know when it’s a bigger game, but I try to keep things the same – think the same, do the same routine. That’s the way I go into every match.
“Maybe in the bigger games there’s added pressure from the outside, but I’m a pretty relaxed guy, and take every game as it comes.
“That’s what I want to continue to do.” Celtic are returning to the city where their favourites faced Porto in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final.
None of their fans will be present this time as the Spaniards are refusing to issue them with tickets.
The emotion surrounding memories of that Final isn’t lost on Postecoglou, but he also wants to look forward to the ties against Real Betis, Bayer Leverkusen and Ferencvaros.
He said: “The reward for us getting through the Europa qualifiers is to be involved in special European nights.
“If you look at our group, we are going to have some fantastic fixtures home and away, and I can’t wait to be involved in them.
“More importantly, we hope to create more special memories that people will talk about in the future when they talk about the great European nights with this club.”
Postecoglou believes his new recruits, with big personalities, can help when it comes to playing in Europe.
He added: “That was one of the reasons for bringing someone like Joe Hart to the club.
“He has obviously played at this level for a long period of time.
“The Alkmaar away game was important because it was a real challenge for us with the level of opponent, and the circumstances.
“We hung in there, and we may need to do that again in our away games.
“We know that playing away from home we aren’t going to dominate games.
“There will periods where we are under pressure, and how we deal with that will be important.”