ADAM IDAH fired Celtic to a double last season when he lashed in the late Scottish Cup winner against Rangers at Hampden on the iconic date of May 25.
Now the £9.5million powerhouse is aiming for a treble when he lines up against Aberdeen in the showpiece occasion at the national stadium on Saturday.
Continuing to play the number game, Idah is now just 90 minutes away from picking up his fifth medal in 17 months at Parkhead.
It’s a remarkable success rate for the Republic of Ireland international frontman who originally arrived on loan at the champions from second-tier Norwich City in January and made the switch permanent with his big-money move in the summer.
GLASGOW BELONGS TO ME…Adam Idah accepts the acclaim of the Celtic fans at Hampden after scoring last season’s Scottish Cup Final winner.
Idah claimed nine goals during his temporary stay in the east end of Glasgow and has rattled in 20 strikes as the Hoops won their fourth successive title and lifted the Premier Sports League Cup in dramatic circumstances against Philippe Clement’s Ibrox outfit in mid-December.
The Cork-born frontman netted during the nerve-wracking 5-4 penalty-kick shoot-out triumph alongside team-mates Callum McGregor, Arne Engels, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda.
However, unsurprisingly, it’s last season’s clincher against the Govan club that has given the 24-year-old attacker most satisfaction.
Idah said: “Obviously, it was a special moment for me. It was great to get the winner. It was my last game for the club when I was on loan, so it was a special and proud moment for me.
“It’s exciting to go back there and, hopefully, we can win it again.
“It’s something you don’t even dream of. It’s one of those things that’s so amazing that it’s hard to take it in.
JUST CHAMPION…Adam Idah proudly holds his second Premiership title.
“It took me a while to realise what I’d done. I’ve watched the video so many times. It was an unbelievable feeling to do that against them in that manner. It was amazing.
“How often do people remind me of it? Quite a lot. It was a very special moment.
“It’s good to be reminded of it, but at the same time, I’ve got to stay focused. I know those opportunities don’t come around often.
“I’ve just got to focus on the next task and, hopefully, we can go and do it on Saturday.”
Celtic have thumped NINETEEN goals into the Dons net in five games – including a 6-0 League Cup semi-final rout – in this campaign, but Idah had fired blanks until stoppage-time at Pittodrie last midweek.
He pounced on a goal-line clearance from Nicky Devlin to ram in the final strike in the Hoops’ 5-1 success in a one-sided Cup rehearsal.
PICK IT OUT…Adam Idah races away after netting Celtic’s final goal past Dons keeper Dimitar Mitov in the 5-1 win at Pittodrie.
Idah insisted there will be no complacency among the Celtic ranks and, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “I think that’s what the staff and us players have done brilliantly.
“Although we won the league early, we didn’t want to cruise through it. We still had our own targets that we wanted to achieve.
“We didn’t want to take any game easy. We want to build momentum going into the Cup Final. Stick with it and just keep grinding through.”
As he closes in on a fifth winners’ medal, Idah added: “Even speaking to Callum McGregor and James Forrest, they’ve won so much, but it’s still that same feeling of winning trophies.
“You’ve got to embrace it, you’ve got to enjoy it and, hopefully, there’s more to come.”