AUSTON TRUSTY is calling for his team-mates to reclaim their self-belief before tomorrow’s Premiership encounter against Kilmarnock at Parkhead.
Celtic go into the fixture following the painful mauling in Midtjylland and the USA international centre-back is demanding the champions recover the form that saw them enjoy back-to-back wins over Falkirk and Rangers.
Martin O’Neill has been restoring confidence in his squad since taking over in an interim capacity following the dramatic departure of Brendan Rodgers following two dismal defeats against Dundee and Hearts.
HANDS UP IF YOU’RE A WINNER…Auston Trusty is eager to get Celtic back on track.
Reflecting on Thursday’s disappointment in Denmark, Trusty said: “Midtjylland are a good squad, but also I think we just did it to ourselves. We just didn’t give ourselves the best chance by starting on the front foot.
“All credit to them, but I think we could have controlled things better.
“Obviously, we’re upset to lose the game in that fashion. We were really poor in the first-half, but, at least, we showed heart and desire in the second-half trying to get back into it.
“A lot of teams would just cave in, but we decided not to, and we pushed on and tried to tie it up as much as we could, but obviously we’re not happy with the result.
“We can’t really focus on the bigger picture, we have to do it day-by-day and game-by-game and we’ve got a game now, so that’s the focus.”
The fixtures have been piling up before the forthcoming international break and Trusty believes the conveyor belt of confrontations is a good thing for the team.
MAN OF THE MATCH…Auston Trusty with the award following his superb performance in the 3-1 Premier Sports League Cup semi-final win at Hampden last weekend.
The £6million recruit from Sheffield United on summer deadline day in 2024, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “I think that’s the benefit of playing so often.
“There’s a game every other day, so it’s just moving on, and how you raise the team, how you raise the organisation as a player, you have your core values and your core beliefs.
“And if you believe that you are a good squad with good players, you move on to the next time.”
It’s the second time the teams have locked horns this season and it took a stoppage-time penalty-kick from Kelechi Iheanacho, his first for the team, to give the Hoops a 2-1 triumph at Rugby Park in September.
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