LUKE McCOWAN provoked some stinging remarks in late February when the midfielder insisted “nobody could match Celtic” when they hit form.
The £1million buy from Dundee on August 2024 deadline day made the comment after the Hoops had returned from Germany after a second leg win over VfB Stuttgart where he netted the only goal of the Europa League game inside a minute.
The champions were due to visit Ibrox the following Sunday and his assertion prompted some posturing from the Govan club – in particular boss Danny Rohl who was quick to remind everyone Celtic had lost seven league games at that stage of the season.
Martin O’Neill’s men backed up McCowan’s words with a stirring second-half performance when they came back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw.
FAN-TASTIC…Luke McCowan celebrates with the Celtic supporters after scoring against St Mirren in the thrilling 6-2 extra-time Scottish Cup semi-final triumph.
A week later, they returned to the venue to knock the hosts out of the Scottish Cup 4-2 in a dramatic penalty-kick shoot-out.
They lost only one more Premiership encounter – a mystifyingly dismal display in a 2-0 defeat from Dundee United at Tannadice in March – as they rampaged their way to a fifth successive title, hammering Rohl’s team 3-1 at Parkhead in the run-in.
And Scotland’s title kings – with a record 56 crowns – threw in the Scottish Cup for good measure with another 3-1 victory, this time over Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline at Hampden last weekend.
Reflecting on a rollercoaster crusade, McCowan, who made 42 appearances in all competitions, said: “It’s amazing.
“I just can’t believe that I’m winning trophies for this club.
“It’s something that I aspired to do as soon as I came here and it’s the whole reason I joined.
“To be able to help the boys throughout the season and be part of this amazing group is special.”
PICK IT OUT…Luke McCowan rolls the ball past helpless St Mirren keeper Grant Tamosevicius in the sensational semi-final extra-time period.
Discussing the remark he made earlier in the campaign, McCowan, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “The reason I said that is because I’ve got that much belief in this group.
“I’ve trained with all the boys every day and I’ve played in this league for so many years.
“I know there’s amazing teams and amazing players in the league. I’ve just got more faith in my team, my squad, my team-mates and the staff than I do anybody else.
“I knew if we got ourselves going and firing in the right way that we would retain the title – and that’s exactly what we did.
“If I’m being harsh on myself, I know I’ve got more.
“I’ve had big moments throughout the season, but if I want to be a starter at this club and play constantly then I need to contribute more.
“That’s my aim for next year, to push myself and everybody in my position to the max and try to play as many games as I can.”
THREE CHEERS…Luke McCowan, flanked by Anthony Ralston and James Forrest, celebrates another Celtic triumph.
The 28-year-old middle-of-the-park performer, who recently signed an extension, underlined the importance of club stalwarts such as captain Callum McGregor and James Forrest plus World Cup-bound duo Anthony Ralston and Kieran Tierney.
Lifelong fan McCowan added: “The main thing this year is we had a huge core group who know what it means to play for Celtic.
“The guys in the changing room have been through hard times before and they used those experiences to make sure it didn’t happen again.
“Cal speaks so well and he kept reminding everybody that if we stuck together and kept performing then we’d give ourselves the best chance.”
McCowan has now collected two titles and was an unused substitute in the Scottish Cup victory over the Fifers.
As he says himself, there’s more to come!
IT’S THE BOOK DEAL OF THE YEAR! You can now own a copy of ‘Celtic 50 Flags Plus One’ AND ‘Celtic Treble Treble’ for only £9.95 plus postage. Two stunning Celtic publications and you can save a massive £20! Order now! Just click the image for details and your books will be on their way. Happy reading!
