James Forrest hails Celtic’s golden era as he wins 25th major honour with club
Forrest moved alongside Bobby Lennox, who won his 25 trophies in the 1960s and 70s.
James Forrest declared it “a pleasure” to represent Celtic through such a golden era in their history after he became their most decorated player of all time alongside Bobby Lennox.
The long-serving 33-year-old winger came off the bench to help the Hoops secure a 5-4 penalty shootout victory in Sunday’s dramatic Premier Sports Cup final triumph over Rangers, after an exhilarating 3-3 draw at Hampden.
Forrest has now won 25 major honours with the Hoops since making his debut in 2010 and will move out on his own if he wins one more trophy for his boyhood club.
The Scotland international stressed that his achievements in green and white were testament to the sustained period of dominance they have enjoyed within Scottish football under the likes of Neil Lennon, Ronny Deila, Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers.
“I think that’s just a kind of bonus,” Forrest said of moving alongside Lennox, who won his 25 trophies in the 1960s and 70s.
“I’ve said before, I’ve been a part of different eras, different teams in Celtic over the years and it’s been a pleasure.
“And I think if maybe I wasn’t part of successful teams, I maybe wouldn’t have been here (as long). I think it’s a great credit to the teams I’ve been involved in and loads of people putting in great work over the years and I’m just delighted to be a part of that.
“It’s great to be a part of this club on days like this. You see the fans at the end, all the players and staff together, it’s unbelievable to be a part of. I’ve cherished every minute I’ve been here and hopefully there’s more to come.”
Sunday’s win edged Celtic ahead of Rangers on the trophy count, with the Hoops now on 119 league titles, Scottish Cups, League Cups and European trophies and Gers on 118.
Forrest loved the dramatic nature of the victory but insisted it did not hold more significance than any other triumph of which he had been involved.
“To be honest, I just always think you can never really look back at any cup and go, ‘oh, it didn’t mean as much as another one’,” he said.
“It’s just like any other cup, you’re playing a cup final for Celtic, so no matter if you’re playing against your biggest rivals or someone else, the pressure’s on the players and the demand is there from the fans as well.
“I think all the players and staff really came through and you’ve seen the way the fans were buzzing at the end, so it was a great day.”
Forrest left Hampden in a moon boot and is waiting to learn the extent of a knock he sustained to his foot in the closing stages of Sunday’s match.
Despite being in obvious discomfort, the winger revealed he was ready to take a spot-kick if it had gone to sudden death.
“I think I was next on the list, I was number six to take it, so I’m glad that Daizen (Maeda) scored (the decisive penalty),” he said.
“You can’t underestimate the pressure of going up there to take them. They all had great character, showed great belief. It was credit to everyone that went up and took one.”
