A Great Day For The Irish

Jonny Hayes was delighted with his Flag Day start, and after his injury setbacks, he’s savouring every moment at Paradise

- Tony Connelly

FOR Jonny Hayes the age-old proverb of ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ has come to define his approach to football.

His first season at Celtic was cut short by injury and left him on the side-lines for over half-a-year, but he marked his return to competitive action on Flag Day and is cherishing every second as a Celt.

Being included in the starting XI marked the culmination of a long journey for the 31-year-old. Not only did it represent the strides forward he has made at Celtic he was a second-half substitute for the inaugural game of the 2017/18 season - but it allowed him to finally put all the doubts which had persisted in his mind during his eight months out injured.

“I was a little bit nervous going into the game,” Hayes explained to the Celtic View. “It felt like a debut all over again with all the build-up of it being the first game of the season and Flag Day. Fitness-wise, I felt fine. It was a comfortable enough game. On the ball I was a little bit rusty but I half-expected that.

“It’s a difficult one because, no matter how much hard work you put in, and there’s been a lot of it over the last seven or eight months, it’s always going to be tough coming back into a first-team game.

“It took me a few minutes to settle into it. I enjoyed it. I knew I was only going to play for an hour, so I just tried to make the most of it.”