‘I thrive off of it’ – Idah says he uses pressurised moments to motivate himself

Everything that Adam Idah said to the media after Celtic’s 3-1 Scottish Premiership win over Motherwell at Fir Park

What were your thoughts on the game?

It was a dramatic end. Look, we didn’t perform as well as we wanted in the first half. We knew what we needed to do in the second half and we stuck to the gameplan. Happily, we came out with the three points and that is what we needed to do.

You are making a habit out of these last-minute winners, aren’t you did your goals today feel similar to the ones at Easter Road?

I try to do my best to help the team. It’s not just my goals, I think everyone performed in that second half. We were a lot more comfortable on the ball, we created a lot more chances. Credit to everyone. Any goal is massive, but especially the way it ended to help get the three points. To be 1-0 down and come back was huge for us and a major boost for the team.

What did the manager say to you at half-time?

At half-time, the manager just told us to stick to the game plan and keep being confident. We all have the belief we can do it, so there’s no need to be under pressure. To be fair to the boys, we did that in the second half. We probably didn’t keep the ball the way we would have wanted before then. We didn’t create much. The difference in the second half was massive. It was just about staying positive and staying on top of the plan with that never-say-die attitude.

It can’t be easy blocking the pressure out because going into injury time it is two points dropped, isn’t it?

Look, there’s always going to be pressure going into any game. There’s always pressure at Celtic because it’s such a big club and the demands on everyone are huge. I think for us players, you do need pressure. It can be tough at times but we are all experienced enough to deal with that pressure and keep going.

The manager referenced the history of Celtic and late goals and you boys are continuing that. Is that something you are aware of?

I’m well aware of Celtic and late goals. We watched the clips before the game of Matty O’Riley scoring at Motherwell in the 96th minute. It’s just that attitude of never giving up. I could see it as soon as I came in. Everyone is so hardworking in training, so professional and you see it in the games they never give up, everyone is willing to put in that extra one per cent to get results. You saw that on Sunday and it turned out well.

Would you rather it was more straightforward and for Celtic to get the job done earlier?

Of course, you want that in every game. These things happen. You go 1-0 down and it’s to show that mentality and attitude to try and turn it around. We did that on Sunday. Look, not every game is going to be easy. You are not going to be four or five up every week. That’s football and you need to grind it out to the very last whistle. It has to be from the first minute to the very end.

Was it good for you that you scored twice from open play and they weren’t penalties?

It is very pleasing. The two penalties were great but you do want to score from open play and to do that was unbelievable for me and my confidence. As a striker getting goals is my job and I am delighted to do that.

Is that more what you are about as a striker scoring that header and the second with the sidefoot technique finish?

That’s what I try to do. I have come up here to try and score as many goals as I can and help the team. The team are helping me as they are putting balls into the box and making me the reference point. We are all working well with each other and I am delighted.

Do you think there will be a lot of games like the Motherwell match and days like this before the end of the season where you have to go for 96 minutes?

I think in every game, we will have to keep going no matter what the score or result is. You can be 4-0 or 5-0 up but we will need to keep going. I don’t think there is ever any game where you think we should stop at 60 minutes you are always going to have to go to the very end.

The manager mentioned in the last game there was anxiety on the pitch but did the last 20 minutes show you what can be done when everyone stays calm and focused?

Even though there is pressure on the players we have spoken about it ourselves in training and it is just dealing with it. It can be tough at times but we are all old enough and experienced enough to put that behind us and stick together as we are a team.

Do you want to take that attitude into the Dundee game from the first minute on Wednesday night?

You take the positives from the game. We’ll look back at what went wrong but have to look back at the positives to take into the next game and make sure we are consistent in every game. You have to do it for the full 90.

Do you believe you have done enough for a starting role now?

Look, regardless if I start or come off the bench, I’m going to do my best. I’ve started three games now and came on in the others. It’s about getting games and helping the team. That’s what I did on Sunday. It doesn’t matter to me if I start or not. I just want to perform every week and hopefully score as many goals as I can.

You seem like a cool customer. Do you suffer from nerves at all?

Not really. I think I thrive off pressure. That’s what excites me. For a lot of players, that’s what you play football for. That pressure gives you that bit of motivation. I know for me, that’s when I play my best.

Do you use the fact that you have been written off in the title race in favour of the other team’s momentum as motivation and fuel?

To be fair we haven’t spoken about the league once. There are still 11 games to go and when we speak in training, we take each game as it comes. We want to get three points in every game and we can look at the league at the end of the season.