Callum McGregor admitted Celtic’s Premiership title win came at the end of one of the hardest seasons of his career after the dramatic comeback victory over Hearts at Celtic Park.
The Celtic captain lifted his 11th league title after Martin O’Neill’s side came from behind to win 3-1 on the final day. Hearts needed only a draw to take the title and looked on course after Lawrence Shankland’s first-half opener silenced Celtic Park.
Instead, Celtic dragged themselves back into the game again.
Arne Engels levelled from the penalty spot just before the break before Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand scored late goals that sent the stadium into complete chaos. By the end, supporters had flooded onto the pitch while McGregor stood in the middle of it all preparing to lift the trophy.
The midfielder has carried huge responsibility this season both on and off the pitch. There were difficult spells during the campaign when performances dipped badly and criticism around the side intensified after poor results, especially before O’Neill returned to the dugout.
Even then, McGregor continued insisting the squad still believed they could recover the title race.
Speaking immediately after the final whistle, the Celtic captain reflected on the mentality inside the dressing room during the run-in.
He said: (Sky Sports), “Yeah, unbelievable. Such a difficult season.
“So many downs, just start to creep, the team are getting better and better.
“The belief in this group is special, like I’ve never seen anything like that before.
“And typical of the last minute performance.
“Yeah, it was never going to be, was it?
“It’s been typical of the season, so we thought we’d string you out one last time.
“This is a special football club with special supporters.
“You drag us through time and time again.
“It is our responsibility to give you special days like this.
“So I hope everyone enjoys it, it’s been such a hard season.
“So you make sure that you have fun tonight.”
McGregor’s comments matched the mood around Celtic Park after full-time. Relief probably outweighed anything else at first. Celtic looked out of the title race after the defeat at Tannadice earlier in the season and spent weeks chasing Hearts from behind.
The comeback against Motherwell in midweek kept them alive and Saturday followed a similar pattern. Celtic were far from comfortable for large parts of the game and Hearts defended brilliantly until the final moments.
O’Neill repeatedly spoke during the run-in about the crowd carrying the team through difficult moments and that happened again once Celtic started forcing Hearts deeper after the break.
By stoppage time the entire stadium felt ready to explode. Then Osmand raced clear for the third goal and Celtic finally had the title back in their hands.
