Celtic's Cup Triumph Provides Perfect Platform for Season's Final Push
Liam Scales has declared that Celtic are now in the perfect position to attack the remainder of the season following their dramatic Scottish Cup quarter-final victory over Rangers. Sunday's triumph on penalties at Ibrox ensured Martin O'Neill's men emerged unscathed from a taxing run of four consecutive away matches, which yielded three wins and a draw.
Navigating a Demanding Fixture Schedule
The Irish defender, who captained the side in Callum McGregor's absence, highlighted the challenging nature of the recent schedule. This run included European action against Stuttgart, a league fixture at Aberdeen, and two demanding trips to Ibrox within a ten-day period. 'You looked at the four games coming up and you thought we need to take it game by game, but it was a difficult run,' Scales admitted. 'It's good to be out the other side of it. Now we have more time in between games to recover and rest. It's put us in the perfect position to where we want to be.'
Squad Character and Momentum Building
Scales emphasised that the squad's collective character has been instrumental in keeping their hopes for silverware alive across multiple competitions. 'I think people questioned how we'd get on,' he said. 'The four away games and the 10 days, having to come here twice and have a European game in there as well. I just think that the character is brilliant in our dressing room.'
He acknowledged that while the team's performance levels have not been as consistently high as desired, their resilience has proven decisive. 'We know it's there. We know maybe the quality — we haven't got to the levels as consistently as we would like. But the character has got us through games, scoring last-minute goals and keeping a clean sheet today. It's given us good momentum now to kick on.'
Valuable Experience for Emerging Players
The springboard for Scales' own Celtic career was a man-of-the-match display in a victory at Ibrox three years ago. He believes Sunday's gritty win can have a similarly transformative effect on younger squad members like Dane Murray and Benjamin Arthur, who made significant contributions during the match.
'It's brilliant because there's no real game like this. Now the lads have experienced it,' Scales added. 'Next time we have to do it, they'll have that experience in there. They'll have experienced what it's like. It's hard to explain. The first 10-15 minutes can be a blur. The lads have experienced that now and come through it and done well. It can really help.'
He was particularly effusive in his praise for the young defenders. 'They were brilliant. Benjamin, to come into a game like this — he's only played a handful of senior games, he's young, and just to play it the way he did with a cool head... He obviously hasn't played many games, so he couldn't finish out the game, but for the time he was on the pitch, he was excellent.'
Defensive Solidity and Penalty Precision
A monumental defensive display by O'Neill's players kept Rangers at bay throughout 120 minutes of football, with four clinically taken penalties ultimately securing passage to the semi-finals. Goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo was a contender for the man-of-the-match award, with Scales highlighting his commanding presence.
'He's such a calming influence on the team,' Scales said of the Finnish goalkeeper. 'I said it to him after the game, I don't think he knows how much of a relief it is when he comes out and collects a corner the way he does. It takes so much of that threat away. He was brilliant off his line. He's been brilliant. I don't think he has put a foot wrong and I'm really delighted for him.'
Despite losing the coin toss for choice of ends before the penalty shootout, Scales maintained confidence in his teammates. 'The coin was blue on one side and green on the other, funnily enough, so you didn't really have a choice,' he explained. 'You're just hoping that it lands on the green side and you get to go down your end, but obviously it didn't. I still had good confidence in the lads. We practised our penalties. All the lads who stepped up were brilliant. Good courage and good technique as well.'
Focus Shifts to League and Cup Challenges
With a semi-final against St Mirren scheduled for next month, Celtic will first turn their attention to chasing down Premiership leaders Hearts, whom they still trail by five points. Scales, who was designated as the fifth penalty taker, expressed relief that the shootout concluded before his turn arrived.
'I was actually the fifth penalty taker as well, so I'm glad it finished up before me, to be fair!' he admitted. 'It was definitely one of the proudest moments. But again, it's a quarter-final, we still need to go on and win the semis and win the final for it to be worthwhile.'
The victory provides Celtic with renewed confidence and momentum as they enter the crucial final phase of the season, with Scales believing the team's demonstrated character positions them perfectly for the challenges ahead.
