Top Line Summary

  • The team have come through a 'sticky patch' but are now back to their best
  • He draws inspiration from defensive teammate Liam Scales after his 'incredible' Ibrox display
  • Celtic will always be his first priority when it comes to his transfer future
  • Explains his Buckie family connection through cousin Josh who will likely be playing

Everything that Celtic defender Stephen Welsh said to the media ahead of the Buckie Thistle Scottish Cup tie at Parkhead.

e are back with Scottish Cup action this weekend. How are the boys feeling to be back in competitive action?

As always, we are raring to go. Everybody had a good break. I think we finished the first half of the season very well. We went through a sticky patch for a couple of weeks where results didn't go our way but the last two weeks before the break I thought our performances were excellent, especially the Rangers and St Mirren games. The performances that we put in during those two games were first class and we got the results we deserved in the end. We are raring to go and back defending our Scottish Cup. It's been a tough week and the boys are looking forward to getting back playing.

What is the main thing you have taken away from the break? Clubs have different strategies - some go away and some stay at home and work here - what have you taken away and what has been the main benefit of it?

This league has a break for a few weeks and it is all about recharging your batteries. You get a week away and some of the boys go on holiday. It is like a mini pre-season when you come back and the training has been really tough but it is good for us to get back into the swing of things and back into the routine of working out way through until the summer and finishing the season well.

It has been a bit of a rollercoaster for you this season already. Can you take us through the highs and lows of it?

There have been a few lows. I got a bad injury right at the start of the season and I had to get surgery on that which kept me out for four to five months. I came back and did well and played the last Champions League game against Feyenoord. It is just about continuing to work hard and whenever you get a chance at this club you need to take it, especially when it comes to the business end of the season for us. This is a time when we start to play football.

It was an area of the pitch that was recruited very heavily in the summer but the manager has shown faith in you. How important is that? How much confidence do you take from that and what is it like to be part of that battle?

The gaffer has been class for me. He just put me into both the Feyenoord and Rangers games and if I know that he trusts me to go and play then makes things ten times easier. I have got a lot of good players around me. To go in and do a job for him, he makes it easy for you and the quality I have around me helps as well.

Now that you are over those injuries you have seen that Liam Scales has taken his opportunities does that act as a good inspiration for you knowing that if you take your chance you can become a mainstay in the side?

Scalesy (Liam) has been one of our best players this season. The consistency in his performances has been great. I think he said it himself that he probably thought he wouldn't be here at the start of the season. He came in and played in big games and one of his first games was over at Ibrox and that performance he put in was incredible. He has continued that. It's all well and good playing a couple of good games but he has done it for a good few months in a row and he has been excellent. I am delighted for him because every day at training he puts the work in and his weekend displays speak for themselves this season.

You have been linked with a move away in different transfer windows. Are you confident you can make your mark?

I have said before that Celtic will always be my club and it is always the first choice. There is nothing better for me personally than to play here and that is what the boys are aiming to do. We have a good squad, and anyone can come in and do a job. We all know exactly what we are doing and nothing changes for us. Everyone is pulling in the right direction, and we can see how it goes.

Tell us about your family connection coming into this game?

My cousin plays for Buckie, so it was a bit of a shock when we saw the draw and we actually had a conversation about it a couple of days beforehand because he was hoping that they got one of the big two. We never thought it would happen but as soon as the draw came out, I gave him a wee text. I think we all saw the videos and the Buckie lads were buzzing. We just prepare as usual as it is the start of a cup run again and we are looking to defend it. It is business as usual; we have had a good week of training and will hopefully go on to win the game on Sunday.

Did you play with your cousin Josh?

No, I think he is four or five years older than me so even at youth level I never played at his age group. To do it at the first-team level in the Scottish Cup, I think the family are delighted. I am looking forward to it.

Is there a bigger demand for tickets than usual?

I think he has more demand than me, I think half the family have been asking him for tickets. I think it will be the usual suspects wanting tickets off me. He has had a lot of shouts for tickets this week.

Does missing out on the League Cup earlier in the season motivate you to kick on in this competition?

Yeah, obviously the disappointment of going out early in the League Cup… a club like Celtic wants to be successful in every competition. We have parked that and now we are focused on the league and Scottish Cup. The bigger picture for us is that by May we want to be in the final and competing to win the trophy again.