Adam Idah insists he's a different Celtic animal for breaking Euro duck as Hoops fans promised there's more to come
Hitting the net in the Champions League gave Adam Idah's confidence levels a turbo charge – and the Celtic striker is determined to get plugged in again.
The Hoops frontman ticked off one of his big bucket-list targets by notching for the Parkhead men at the very highest level last term.
Idah bagged a goal on his Champions League debut in the five-goal stuffing of Slovan Bratislava and also pounced with a lethal double in the six-goal thriller against Aston Villa.
The 24-year-old has admitted he's a confidence player.
Most strikers are, in fairness, but when Idah has the good vibes flowing, goals usually follow. And finding the net against the very best was just what he needed to prove he can cut it among the big boys.
Idah said: 'Yeah 100 per cent. I've said it plenty of times, for me confidence is a big thing. Obviously to score in the Champions League, one of the biggest competitions in the world, is amazing for me.
"To do that in my first season playing in the Champions League was fantastic.
'You can learn a lot from it. You're playing against the best players in the world, and to score goals in that competition is a fantastic feeling. It did really help.'
It wasn't just Idah who relished being on the big stage last season. Celtic lapped it up and held their own to progress beyond the group stage in the new-look format before giving everything over two legs against Bayern Munich in the knockout stages.
It was almost cruel that the reward was to get bumped out of an automatic place in this year's competition.
While England has about 14 teams gaining direct entry, the Scottish champions will need to go through the physical and emotional turmoil of a play-off.
Who they might face is a mystery right now, but there could be hurdles such as Austrians Sturm Graz, Swiss champs Basel and old chums Slovan Bratislava.
There are other danger clubs lurking too, like Croatians Rijeka and former foes such as Malmo and Bodo/Glimt.
Regardless of the draw Idah understands the magnitude of the clash.
It's a cup final barely a fortnight into the new season.
The Ireland star said: 'It's going to be a really big game. The Champions League is a massive tournament for us, one of the biggest in the world, and every single player wants to play in it.
'It's a huge game for us, and we want to do the best we can to get back into the Champions League and have another good year.'
Idah reckons competing in Europe has helped him kick-on under Brendan Rodgers.
The Hoops boss has been a big support to the striker. Sometimes it's been giving his confidence a boost with a pat on the back, other times it's been a well-timed boot up the backside.
Like in Portugal last week when the gaffer gave him a roasting from the sidelines after missing a couple of sitters against Sporting.
Idah takes it on board rather than to heart – knowing the boss will get the best out of him.
He said: 'That was one of the reasons why I joined Celtic in the first place. I have lots of trust in the manager. I think he's got a lot of trust in me, and we've come up with a plan together when I first signed, and it's about taking each step as it comes now.
'Next season's obviously going to be a big season for me. I'm looking forward to it.'
Idah insists there is more to come and he's hoping being the main man with Celts can come with some fringe benefits.
While the Hoops are hitting Europe, the Republic of Ireland are dreaming of reaching the World Cup Finals for the first time in 24 years.
The Irish are up against Portugal, Hungary and Armenia in the qualifiers and Idah wants to be in top form for his club to take into national duty.
He said: 'This year is going to be really important with the World Cup next year, and you need to be playing at club level if you want to play in these competitions, so it's a big year for me.
'It's a tournament that everyone wants to play in, and for us as a country, it's going to be massive. We're all looking forward to it. We're all pushing to try and qualify. So yeah, this season at club level will be really important for me.'
Idah is determined to hit the ground running after doing the hard yards in pre-season, with the Hoops landing in Italy for the next step of their preparations with clashes against Ajax on Thursday and then either Serie Como or Saudi side Al-Ahli at the weekend.
Celts are flying after wins against Sporting Lisbon and Newcastle – following a trip to Idah's hometown in Cork. He said: 'It was lovely going back. it was a bit disappointing that I couldn't play, but it was really nice being back home, seeing everyone and the support we had was amazing.
'I never once thought that would happen. Pre-season has been really good. Everyone's looking fresh and training's been going well. We had a tough week training in Portugal, so it was good to get back out on the pitch.'
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