Liam Scales admitted winning the league this season would feel different after everything Celtic have gone through during a chaotic campaign that still hangs in the balance heading into Sunday’s derby against Rangers.
Celtic looked out of the title race more than once this season. Defeats against Dundee United, Hearts and Rangers left the side chasing for long periods while injuries constantly disrupted the squad. Kasper Schmeichel’s season-ending injury forced Viljami Sinisalo into the team, while questions around the club off the pitch created tension around Celtic Park during winter.
There were moments where the season felt like it was drifting.
The 2-0 defeat at Tannadice before the international break probably marked the lowest point. Celtic lacked intensity that day and Hearts looked in complete control at the top of the table. Supporters were frustrated and uncertainty around Martin O’Neill’s long-term future only added to the noise around the club.
Since then, Celtic have fought their way back into the race.
The Scottish Cup win over Rangers at Ibrox changed the mood around the squad, even if it came without a shot on target during normal time. Recent league wins over Falkirk and Hibernian kept pressure on Hearts, while performances have started carrying more aggression again during the run-in.
Scales has played through all of that this season and knows exactly how difficult the campaign has felt inside the dressing room.
The Celtic defender reflected on the title race ahead of Sunday’s derby.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “Yeah, it would be amazing.
“It would probably be a little bit sweeter because I feel like there’s been times where we’ve gone through tough spells and bad results.
“We’ve been able to show that we can bounce back from bad results and bad spells and noise outside of what’s going on on the pitch.
“It would be a little bit sweeter but we just need to take every game now one by one and try and win them all.”
That probably matches how many supporters feel about this title race now.
Recent Celtic sides have often pulled clear by spring. This season has been different from the start. Hearts stayed there. Rangers stayed there. Celtic had to respond instead of simply controlling the league.
That changes the pressure around every match.
Sunday now feels bigger because Celtic are still chasing rather than protecting a lead. Rangers arrive wounded after consecutive defeats, but Scales and the rest of the squad know derby form rarely follows league tables.
If Celtic do manage to complete the comeback over these final weeks, few inside the stadium will forget how difficult parts of this season actually felt.
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