BRENDAN RODGERS celebrated his Celtic return by sealing the league and Cup double exactly a year ago today.
The Irishman watched Adam Idah hammer in the 90th-minute winner against Rangers to bring down the curtain on his comeback campaign.
The league title had already been confirmed 10 days earlier with a runaway 5-0 success against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
All eyes were on the derby at Hampden and the champions had to call on reserves of strength, desire and mentality to eventually overcome stubborn Ibrox opposition.
Rodgers conceded his team’s performance was not particularly easy on the eye.
SILVER LINING…a delighted Brendan Rodgers holds the Scottish Cup after completing his comeback season with a double.
The manager picked up his third Scottish Cup and said: “It was very tense game, a real nail-biting game at 0-0.
“But the players’ mentality to come through the game and to win it just really typifies how they’ve been over the course of the season, so I’m so proud of them and it’s an amazing day for the club.
“We arrived into the game in a really good mindset, but you can’t play beautiful football in every single game and you saw that with two different styles in this one.
“But the resilience and mentality really pushes us on to keep fighting and keep working, and eventually our drive and desire to win the game shines through.
“I said to the players beforehand that when they arrive into this game, it’s not the week’s preparation leading into it, it’s all about the other 51 weeks and how you work and how you’re discipline is, how your mentality is and your professionalism.
IRISH AYES…Adam Idah swoops to fire past Jack Butland for the Scottish Cup-winning goal.
“That all then drives through into a game like this one.
“So, for the players to have come through a very tough game and come out as winners and have a really fantastic end to the season, I’m so proud of them.”
The only goal arrived late in a dramatic confrontation when Portuguese playmaker Paulo Bernardo evaded a lunging tackle from Nico Raskin just inside the opposition half before surging into enemy territory.
The on-loan Benfica player took aim and fired from just outside the box and his swerving effort totally flummoxed Jack Butland who could only paw the ball into the tracks of the inrushing Idah who rammed the rebound into the inviting net.
And, at a stroke, the 150-year-old trophy was bedecked in green and white ribbons for a record 42nd time.
GLAD TO BE BACK…Brendan Rodgers and Callum McGregor celebrate the manager’s return with a Scottish Cup success.
Rodgers was also aware the May 25 date is an iconic one in Celtic’s glorious hall of fame, the date when Jock Stein’s men beat inter Milan 2-1 to become the first British club to conquer Europe.
He added: “I’m very conscious of the incredible history of this club, but also it’s important for the new generation of players in this era and this team to create their own history.
“We want to win and we want to win trophies consistently, so coming to Hampden you have to play well and have confidence that you can do that.
“So it’s nice to be able to finish with a double.”
