Paddy McCourt is desperate to prove that he can be a big game Celt.Two wonder goals in four days has transformed the image of the former Derry City star from enigma to contender.
No one has ever been in any doubt about the 25-year-old's ability, a scan through YouTube quickly uncovers a catalogue of wonderful solo efforts that has left defenders chasing shadows and scratching their heads.
Until Wednesday at Falkirk the venues had all been LOI grounds with McCourt playing for Derry City or Shamrock Rovers or from last season's Celtic reserve side.
Almost as effortlessly as he slips past defenders McCourt has transformed his party pieces into the Celtic first team to leave Tony Mowbray with some major decisions to make over the next couple of games.
A fit again Aiden McGeady will stroll into the Celtic side without question. Filling the other places will be more of a dilemma with McCourt and McGinn competing with Shaun Maloney for a place giving the manager the option to play Maloney as a striker.
CENTRE STAGE
This week's matches against Rapid Vienna and Rangers will go a long way towards shaping Celtic's season with McCourt hoping to swap last season's cameo roles for centre stage.
He said: “I hope that there's more to come for me. I don't want to come in, score two goals in two games then not be seen again for six weeks.
“Without a doubt, it would be the ultimate highlight for me to play against Rangers. At the moment it's only one game at a time, my progress has been good over the last few weeks and hopefully I can kick on again.
“I watched all of the Celtic-Rangers games last season as a supporter. It was good to go and watch them but it would be nothing like pulling a shirt on and playing in one and hopefully getting the right result.
AMAZING
“Scoring my first goal at Falkirk was a dream come true. I sat up that night remembering as a young boy how I'd dream of doing that for Celtic. For it to happen was amazing.
“I hope to be playing every week but at the minute the manager has told me that there are wee things that I need to improve on.
“There's a big European game on Thursday, hopefully I can do well in that match then I can look at the game against Rangers.
“It's the managers decision, if he thinks that I'm ready to start at Ibrox then so be it. If he doesn't then I'll respect his decision, we all trust in him and hopefully he'll make the right decision.”
The frenzy of the Rapid rematch and a game against Rangers aren't for the faint hearted.
FORMULATE
Thoughts about the team to face Rangers on Sunday won't begin to formulate for the Celtic boss until his players clock in for training on Friday morning.
The emergence of McCourt and McGinn as first team contenders is a welcome boost for the squad, especially with Marc-Antoine Fortune ruled out with injury.
If the 'Derry Diego', as I was texted on Saturday afternoon, adds to his goal tally over the next two games then some exciting chapters in the Paddy McCourt story are about to begin.
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