James Forrest believes Celtic’s travelling support can play a huge role when the Hoops return to Ibrox this weekend for the Scottish Cup quarter-final.
The winger has experienced plenty of matches in that stadium during his long Celtic career. Some have gone well. Others have been difficult. Forrest understands how quickly the mood inside the ground can shift during a derby.
Last week’s league meeting showed how volatile the fixture can be. Rangers controlled long spells early in the game before Celtic found their footing in the second half. The late equaliser changed the feeling around the result and kept the pressure on heading into the rematch.
Sunday now brings a different context. The league table does not matter for ninety minutes. It is a knockout tie and the winners move on to Hampden.
One thing that will change from the previous game is the size of the Celtic support inside the stadium. A larger away allocation means the players will see more green and white when they walk out of the tunnel.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “I think it’ll be great. It’ll be great for the cup tie and great for us as well.
“Our fans last Sunday were really good even with the small allocation. On Sunday it’ll be great when we come out and look to the left and see all our fans there. Hopefully we can give them something to shout about and keep us going throughout the game.
“Definitely it helps. When the fans are behind us it’s unbelievable, home and away.
“You saw the other night when it was one each, the fans were so loud. It helps us along the way. Over the last few years as well, when we go to European away games they’re always there supporting us.
“So on Sunday the noise will be great for us and hopefully we can give them something back to cheer about.”
Cup football rarely gives you long spells to settle. One goal changes the tempo and the crowd reacts instantly.
Celtic have already experienced that swing at Ibrox this season. On Sunday they return with another chance to handle it better.
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