Up & Running

Vakoun Bayo was delighted with his first start for Celtic, and the goals that marked a great day at Paradise

HAVING enjoyed an impressive pre-season, Vakoun Bayo was looking to take that into the competitive fixtures.

However, having picked up an injury, he was forced to work behind the scenes to force himself into Neil Lennon’s squad. On Sunday, he got his first start for the Hoops, and the Ivorian striker produced a Man of the Match performance, claiming two of Celtic’s goals in the 3-1 win.

Now the 22-year-old is aiming to stay injury-free and play his part in the campaign ahead. Speaking exclusively to this week’s Celtic View, Bayo said: “Pre-season was tough, but I felt it went very well for me,” said Bayo. “I was fit and training well and I even scored some goals in the games. I wanted to go into pre-season to try and take a step forward and impress the manager, and hopefully I did that.

“Picking up an injury after a good pre-season was frustrating because I felt like I was making good progress,” he said. “However, the manager spoke to me, told me not to worry and do what I needed to do to stay strong in my head.

“I feel okay now. I’ve been working hard to get back to fitness and I’m ready to go. I need to continue to work hard and be patient for any opportunity.

“Competition in football is always good because it keeps everyone hungry and helps create extra motivation to worker harder than you thought possible,” added the Celtic striker. “If you have the chance to come in you have to take it but most importantly you have to help the team in any way you can.