Colby Donovan says Celtic will travel to Bologna with confidence on Thursday night, leaning on recent European experience rather than blind optimism.
The 19-year-old academy graduate has been trusted in Europe before, and those memories are shaping his outlook ahead of another big away tie in the Europa League.
Donovan has picked up minutes across both of Martin O’Neill’s interim spells, often in circumstances where the pressure has been real rather than ceremonial. He is still young, but he is no longer untested.
His most recent outing came in the Scottish Cup fourth-round win over Auchinleck Talbot, where he was asked to fill in at left back. It is not his natural position, but it was another chance to be seen. O’Neill made 10 changes to the lineup, giving fringe players the chance to impress while keeping regulars fresh for what lies ahead.
Competition has only intensified. Julian Araujo’s arrival on loan from Bournemouth adds another body to a crowded full-back picture. Donovan and Anthony Ralston are both aware that minutes will be earned, not handed out.
What works in Donovan’s favour is trust already banked. Brendan Rodgers handed him a European start away to Red Star Belgrade in September, a 1-1 draw that demanded composure. O’Neill followed that up by starting him in the win away to Feyenoord, his most recent European match in charge.
Those nights still matter to Donovan, and they are informing how he views Bologna. He said (The Herald):
“You seen it in Feyenoord, we played them off the pitch, and that’s what we’re going to try and do again, we’re going to go over there with no fear, play with confidence again, and hopefully get the three points.”
He is clear about what those selections meant to him personally and what they did for his belief. He added:
“Belgrade was brilliant, even Feyenoord, going away there was brilliant. Just to get the start in Europe for the managers to put me in, in the starting 11, going over there and playing my game, putting on a show and picking up the point, I know we picked up the point in Belgrade, and in Feyenoord, the three points.”
There is no attempt to dress it up as anything other than a learning curve accelerated by circumstance:
“But it’s brilliant, a confidence boost to go out in Europe, you’re playing against the top players, and to do well against them, that gives you a great confidence boost.”
For Celtic, that confidence is not abstract. O’Neill has leaned on young players before, and he has done it again in Europe, with results to justify the calls. Donovan knows the competition is fierce and the margins are fine.
He also knows he has already shown he belongs at that level. Thursday night is another chance to prove it, should he get the nod, given Araujo isn’t part of the Europa League squad.
