Winging It

James Forrest is enjoying a stunning run of form for club and country, and the Hoops star wants to turn top-team performances into more silverware.

- Joe Donnelly

IN his eight years playing senior-level football, James Forrest has won 14 major trophies. Given that he’s still only 27-years-old, that’s a remarkable achievement, and, having scored 12 times for club and country in as many games, ahead of Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League clash with Rosenborg, the Hoops winger is flying.

Always humble, though, the Youth Academy graduate knows that he and his team-mates’ work is never done.

Celtic will play 10 games between now and the end of the year, including two crucial European group-stage ties, a visit to Rangers in the SPFL on December 29, and a League Cup final against Aberdeen at Hampden this Sunday.

Should Forrest score in that showpiece occasion, he will become the first Celtic player since Bobby Lennox to score in three consecutive League Cup finals, an accolade the Lisbon Lion earned back in the late 1960s. Forrest found the net in the Hoops’ 3-0 win against Aberdeen in 2016, and again in last year’s 2-0 victory over Motherwell. (See page 16)

The Scottish champions’ recent run sets them up well for this weekend’s encounter, and Forrest is keen to build on the impeccable form they’ve enjoyed of late, something he feels gives the team confidence and drives them towards further success.

“The last couple of months have been a good run, for myself and for the team as well,” said Forrest in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “Since the manager came in a couple of years ago, things at the club have been really good. We’re kicking on all the time, and I am on a personal level, too. I want to keep going, keep working hard and I want to keep improving.

“But you can never look too many games ahead. You can always point out what might be thought of as a ‘big game’, but with so many games between now and the end of the year, every game becomes a big one.