Greig Spence has timed his return from injury as perfectly as his runs into the penalty box.
The former Alloa striker grabbed a hat-trick on Saturday against Motherwell as Celtic clinched the SPL title and is looking to make it a double tomorrow night against Rangers in the final of the SFA Youth Cup at Hampden.
Spence returned to action earlier this month and waited only 25 minutes to break his scoring duck with a crucial goal against Hamilton Accies in a 3-2 win.
“This game will be massive, we won against Rangers last season but it will be a totally different game this time,” he said.
“We’ve learned a lot from last season’s final, if we work hard and play our game I feel that we’ve got a good chance but we know how hard it will be.
“Last season we got caught up in the atmosphere and playing in a big stadium, this year we’ll know what to expect. I waited a few minutes to get a touch last year and it’s important to get an early kick to calm your nerves.
“There’s a few of us that were in the double winning squad last season and now we’ve got a bit more experience. There will be some nerves in the dressing room but when we go on the pitch we believe in ourselves and that’s important.”
Spence added: “It’s fantastic to win the title but a cup final at Hampden is a special occasion for all of us.
“Clinching the title on Saturday was a great feeling for everyone involved and scoring a hat-trick was fantastic
“I should have taken a few other chances but I’m happy with three. The team creates a lot of chances and it’s my job to put them away.”
After a storming end to last season Spence had high hopes for the new term but a pre-season injury ruled him out of action for eight months.
Despite the frustrations of that knee injury and the desire to get back as soon as possible Spence showed great maturity to hold back his comeback until he was 100% fit.
“I took extra time on my rehab coming back from injury,” he revealed. “I never rushed myself back.
“At a team like Celtc you get the opportunity to do that, at other teams you might get rushed back when you are not ready and pick up niggles if you get pushed back too quickly.
“The club has taken time with me, got me into good condition and you can see that on the pitch.
“Ian Coll (fitness coach) has looked after our fitness brilliantly, the recovery sessions that we get are great for us. Everything off the pitch is spot on and that’s helping us a lot.
“Most of the boys went to Turkey in January and got a really hard second pre-season, I don’t think many teams did that and we’re getting the benefits now as you could see in the run in to the league.
“Hopefully that will show against Rangers at Hampden and we can lift the cup
CELTIC U-19?s CLINCH SPL TITLE
[bet_365 type=’generic’ size=’468′ af_code=’365_050711′]
Joe I’ve noticed that you make the effort to go see these lad’s on a regular basis, is there any stand out’s within that young squad who we might be seeing next season ?
I’m going to try and get myself over to Hampden tomorrow night to watch them and give them my support..
How is this young lad Feruz progressing ? I’ve never had the opportunity to see him play but heard many good things about the lad..
Keep up the good work mate, your blog is a regular daily read for me..
Hail Hail
Make your own mind up SB67!
The demands at Celtic are incredibly high, Champions League standard players are required and not many are ready for that at the moment.
Islam Feruz is a good prospect but there are others every bit as promising in the current U-17 side such as John Herron, Paul George, Marcus Fraser and Joe Chalmers.
Tomorrow night I’d keep an eye out on Lewis Toshney at the back alongside Matty Hughes and up front Greig Spence who is a fantastic poacher.
Spence grafts hard for the team, links play up well but finds an extra gear when he gets in the penalty box and a sight of goal.
Goalkeeper Nick Feely looks a natural, very composed but tomorrow is a test of nerve and bottle as much as ability.
Enjoy the game and share your thoughts on here.
Cheers for the feedback mate, And if I do get along to the game I’ll take some pics to post on the blog and share my experience on the evening, thanks pal.
Hail Hail