Dom Ball was the player who spoke to the press today.

Mood in the dressing room

“I think we’ve taken confidence from our performance against Rangers on Sunday and just like the gaffer we’re disappointed not to get into the semi-final. We’ve got another chance to do that on Tuesday but today in training, tomorrow in training, our focus is solely on the game at Parkhead.”
What will it take to get a result at Celtic?

“I think we’ve come very close, when we played there earlier this season and when we played in the final of the league cup I think most of the lads would’ve said we deserved something out of at least one of those games.

“That’s why they’re top of the league, that’s why they’ve won so many trophies in the last three years, they have that quality that their players have. I do think we’ve been very close and if we get chances and we take them and keep a clean sheet we’ve got a good chance of the three points on Saturday.”

Importance of winning points

“I think it’s every game that’s important.

“We’ve dropped silly points against teams at home that we would’ve expected to get the three points from. But I think we’ve picked up those points against some of the tougher teams.

“So when we go down there on Saturday we’ll be looking to take three points and we know it is something we are capable of doing.”

Celtic under Neil Lennon

“I think it will be a similar style that they’ve had for the last few years that Brendan Rodgers put in place. I think under Neil Lennon it will continue and as a team we’ll just go and do what we do and what we have done in the past. Going down there at the end of last season and picking up the three points to secure second place, we have to look to replicate that kind of performance.”

Difficult Week

“I think for every player we’re all excited in the changing room. These are the types of games you want to play in, these are the types of games you want to get results in. As a team we’re not looking to get a draw or accept one good result from the two games. We want to get to a semi-final and get ourselves in a good position in the league with three points at Parkhead.

“We’ve competed very well against both Rangers and Celtic this year, beaten Rangers a couple of times, I know we haven’t beaten Celtic this season but we beat them at the end of last season and we’ve got the motivation to go and do that again this season.”

Answering critics

“I think that’s fair given my previous experiences playing right back. I think Motherwell last year in the semi-final wasn’t one of my best performances, but that’s the kind of character I am, I want to prove people wrong, I want to help this team out.

“With the injuries we’ve had I’ve had to step in at right back and I think I’ve done a good job and would like to continue that. It has been a confidence booster for me, and for the team as well. We had a solid defensive performance on Sunday and hopefully that will continue.”

Coming back from injury

“I came back from the winter break having only played four minutes in the opening eight fixtures of the season. I was injured for a while with my back, hardly training. It something that definitely plays on your mind and worries you like ‘When am I going to get back in here?’

“You obviously never want someone to get injured for you to get your chance but unfortunately that has been the case, and it hasn’t been in midfield, it’s been at right back but I’m hoping to continue to play a role and play well.”