Celtic TV exclusive interview with Martin O'Neill

Celtic TV exclusive interview with Martin O'Neill

Martin O’Neill was delighted to guide Celtic to another Scottish Cup final, with his side beating St Mirren in the semi-final thanks to blistering first period of extra-time when the Hoops scored four goals in a five-minute spell.

Now all thoughts of the showpiece match at Hampden on May 23 against Dunfermline Athletic can be put on the backburner, with Celtic having five vital league fixtures remaining as they seek to claim their fifth Premiership title in a row.

The first of those five games comes this Saturday when the Hoops play host to Falkirk (KO: 5.30pm), and the Celtic manager is anticipating a very tough encounter against a Falkirk side who will still be smarting from their own Scottish Cup semi-final exit against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline side.

Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, Martin O’Neill said: “Confidence should be high with the team, particularly after the four-goal salvo against St Mirren in the semi-final last week. That should give any team a major boost of confidence.

“It was a throwback, almost like vintage Celtic, and it was like throwing away the shackles and playing with confidence and going for it.

“In terms of preparation, we’ll just get ready for it and it’s just a game at a time. Falkirk caused us plenty of problems in the past and I’m sure it will the same again, although they will probably be suffering a wee bit from the disappointment of losing their semi-final. But, regardless, it will be a tough game.”

And talking about two of the players who came off the bench at Hampden and made a telling impact in delivering the 6-2 victory over St Mirren, the manager added: “James has made a big impact in coming on in games, and that is difficult because sometimes you don’t even get to the pace of the game until it’s too late, but he has made big inroads in matches recently.

“James Forrest has been a really good player here and in one-v-ones, even at 34 years of age, he retains that little bit of zip.