When Adam Idah was thrust into the maelstrom of his Old Firm debut in April, he admits he feared it would doom him.
With 69 minutes on the clock of a pulsating match against Ibrox and Celtic leading 2-1, the Irish striker was sent on to replace Kyogo Furuhashi.
Idah eventually rose to the occasion, marking his first experience of the match with a fine goal in a 3–3 draw, preventing Rangers from claiming the initiative in a title race that Celtic won in relative comfort.
It was an outcome he was only able to enjoy after going through an initial period of wondering if he had ended up in the wrong movie.
“I had obviously heard a lot about the game and seen a few before I joined Celtic,” Idah said. “But I think the biggest shock for me that day at Rangers was probably the intensity of it.
‘I remember wanting to get off again about ten minutes after I arrived! I couldn’t breathe.
Idah has a history of scoring in the big games for Celtic, including in last season’s Scottish Cup final
‘Then I scored the goal and it was a great day. It’s a huge show, it’s watched all over the world. It’s huge and when you play in it you can see exactly how much.
‘It’s a different class and the atmosphere is incredible. It’s a big day for everyone.’
Idah is yet to start an Old Firm game, having come off the bench to take over from Furuhashi in each of his four appearances against Rangers so far.
The 23-year-old has no complaints about playing second fiddle to the talismanic Japanese striker, who has been a regular tormentor for Ibrox with eight goals in his 15 Old Firm appearances.
“That’s the mentality you have to have,” Idah said. “We’ve seen it a lot, especially last season where there were times when I probably didn’t start many games and I came on and affected the game.
‘I think this is the mentality I have in my career and especially this season. It doesn’t matter if I start the game or come off the bench, I think we all have the same goal in mind and we want to influence every game and just win.
“Whether I start or not, I think everyone ultimately wants the same goal.
‘Kyogo can do things that other players cannot. You saw it last week when he came on for me against Hibs and scored. It was an outrageous finish, there aren’t many players who can do that. He is a magical player and that is something we need in the team.’
The Irishman found the net on his derby debut, coming off the bench to score at Ibrox
Idah made his biggest impact from the bench at Hampden in May when he plundered the 90th minute winner for Celtic in a thrilling Scottish Cup final against Rangers.
He is all set to make a similar impact on proceedings when the old foes face off again at the national stadium today, with the League Cup on the line.
“That was obviously a great day for me,” he added. “It was a tough game and we probably didn’t play our best. But the way the match ended was probably the best way you can win a cup final.
“It was a fantastic experience for me and I’m happy to be back at Hampden to play against Rangers again. This will be my first final in this competition and I’m looking forward to it.’
A sell-out crowd and a crackling atmosphere on Glasgow’s south side will be in stark contrast to Idah’s first taste of League Cup football five years ago.
It came in the English version of the tournament when he made his first-team debut for Norwich City as they suffered a shock 1–0 defeat to Crawley Town in front of just 5,000 fans at League Two’s Broadfield Stadium.
“That was a shocker of a match,” he said with a smile. ‘I deflected Crawley’s goal in our goal. It was very different to playing in Hampden, that’s for sure.
‘It was my senior debut and still a good experience for me. All these cup games are magical and I was on the other side with Norwich when we beat bigger teams. A cup match always gives a special feeling, just like a final when it is a big derby against Rangers.’
But to taste defeat in the match, Idah is keen to retain the Old Firm bragging rights he enjoyed before becoming a Celtic player.
Idah is likely to be back on the bench for the League Cup final against Rangers today
“The Norwich lads used to watch the games together,” he said. ‘There were a few Rangers fans there, Kenny McLean and Grant Hanley, and me and Shane Duffy used to celebrate in front of them!
‘Like I said, the fixture is very special and I’m sure everyone will look at this too.’
Although Rangers will arrive at Hampden on the back of an improvement in form that many observers believe will make the outcome harder to determine than it was a few weeks ago, Idah is confident Celtic will overcome whatever obstacles Philippe Clement’s men can put in their path.
“That’s what this group of players is really good at,” he said.
“We’ve been through games before where we probably weren’t playing our best, but we came together and dug deep and got the win at the end of the game.
“Rangers have been doing well lately, but so have we. I think we have improved a lot this season. A lot of new guys have arrived. I think everyone can see that the way we started this season has been excellent.
‘We still strive to do better. Rangers will always make it difficult but we are looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s the first success of the season and we want to get the job done. It can be a springboard for the rest of the season and we always want to win as many trophies as possible at Celtic.”