Although he drew a blank at Hamilton there shouldn’t be too much discussion or debate when they get around the table to name the SPFL Player of the Month for November.
Step forward James Forrest, Player of the Month for October as well.
Eight years on from his Celtic debut it seems that the nation is waking up to James Forrest, the player who more than any other earned Scotland a play-off place in the UEFA Nations League.
It was back on 1st May 2010 that the name Forrest first appeared on the Celtic team-sheet, and goal-sheet.
An 81st minute substitute for Aiden McGeady when Celtic were already 2-0 in front of Motherwell Forrest took six minutes to find the net with fellow sub Robbie Keane netting in the last minute.
Neil Lennon was the caretaker at the time, steering the club to second place and a Champions League qualifier after the Tony Mowbray era had ended one night in Paisley.
The Celtic side at the end of that season was soon to be taken apart, Lennon got the job on a permanent basis and built a team around the transfer fee received for Aiden McGeady.
Scott Brown is the only survivor from Forrest’s debut with the season ending on a minor high with wins over Rangers (IL) and Hearts to sign off with.
Forrest caught the eye in the pre-season tournament at Arsenal, there has been plenty of highs and lows over the last eight years but with another contract recently signed there should be plenty more Forrest Fire headlines to enjoy.
ARTHUR BORUC
Was a surprise departure in the close season, while his team-mates headed to the USA for pre-season training Boruc took a flight to Florence, signing for Fiorentina in a £1m deal.
Life is never dull or predictable around the Holy Goalie, he moved on to Southampton then Bournemouth where he played a big part in their promotion and retaining EPL status.
In January he was linked with a move to Celtic after Craig Gordon got injured but life on the south coast seems very agreeable.
ANDREAS HINKEL
Like Boruc it was almost all over for Hinkel at Celtic.
After getting the manager’s job Neil Lennon left the right-back out of his squad for the Champions League qualifier against Braga which was quickly followed by a cruciate ligament injury.
Hinkel returned to Germany but struggled to get a playing contract forcing him into coaching at his hometown club Vfb Stuttgart. Earlier this season he had a spell as caretaker in charge of the first team but is now back coaching the u-21 side.
JOSH THOMPSON
His career has suffered a massive decline, with no trace of the defender since he picked up a serious leg injury playing for Southport in January 2017.
Tony Mowbray paid Stockport £250,000 to take him to Celtic and while he had some ability a chronic lack of pace was obvious.
That didn’t prevent him from being capped by England at u-19 level but after a serious of loan deals to lower league English sides he left Celtic for Portsmouth in the summer of 2012.
In July 2017 he joined Macclesfield but without putting in an appearance he left the club six months later.
DARREN O’DEA
Has racked up the air-miles since leaving Celtic although he is now at Dundee.
Neil Lennon had other ideas for central defence with the Dubliner moving on loan to Ipswich Town and Leeds before venturing further afield with stints in Canada, the Ukraine and India.
At 31 he still has a few years left in his playing career but looks certain to make the move into coaching.
EDISON BRAAFHEID
One of the greatest mysteries ever in a Celtic jersey.
He arrived in January on loan from Bayern Munich but quickly joined a list of dreadful left-backs that only ended with the signing of Emilio Izaguirre.
Incredibly he was named in Holland’s squad for the 2010 World Cup Finals, making his only appearance in the final against Spain.
He later went on to play for Lazio, among others with his last appearances recorded last season at Utrecht.
AIDEN MCGEADY
Yet another player about to move on from Celtic Park, earning a then record fee when he moved to Spartak Moscow for £11m.
That money allowed Neil Lennon to put together almost a whole new team with McGeady surprising the cynics by staying for four years.
Joining Everton looked a perfect move but it never worked out under Roberto Martinez with some of the best years of his career played out at Preston and Sunderland.
SCOTT BROWN
The great survivor, the Fifer has been there for every day of Forrest’s career, maintaining the armband given to him earlier that season by Tony Mowbray.
Brown has been the backbone of successive Celtic side’s making more European appearances than any other Scottish player.
Last season was another vintage campaign but this term the team turned on the style in his absence although few fans would want to go into the tougher tests without the 33-year-old in the heart of the battle.
ZHENG ZHI
A strange Mowbray signing, brought in at the end of the summer transfer window and thrown into a debut at Ibrox.
He had been the highest profiled Chinese when he joined Charlton Athletic, making over 50 appearances in the EPL.
Celtic always appeared to be an unexpected stop off, at the end of the 2009/10 season he returned to China, joining Guangzhou Evergrande where he is still registered at the age of 38. He picked up 102 international caps.
MORTEN RASMUSSEN
Looked to be the type of striker that Celtic needed but the signing of Robbie Keane proved to be a massive obstacle to his first team prospects.
Lennon wasn’t a fan, sending him out on loan to Mainz 05 and Sivasspor before he returned to Denmark with Midtjylland where he managed to add a couple of Danish international caps.
At the age of 33 he is now enjoying his football in Cyprus, turning out for Enosis with two goals to his name this season.
MARCO FORTUNE
Was the £3m signature signing of the Mowbray era with £3m paid to West Brom for a forward not noted for scoring goals.
The master-plan never quite worked out but Lennon seemed a fan and disappointed when he was sold back to West Brom after the disastrous Europa League defeat against Utrecht.
At the age of 37 he joined Chesterfield in the National League during the summer after service at various outposts ranging from Wigan to Doncaster as well as Coventry and Southend.
GEORGIOS SAMARAS
Was to play a key role in Lennon’s successes with both men moving on at the end of the 2013/14 season.
West Brom was his next port of call but that was cut short as he switched to Saudi side Al Hilal.
His boots have travelled to the USA, Spain and Turkey but at the age of 33 he has retired from playing, taking up a role with OFI Crete.