This is not how David Turnbull would have wanted his first season at Celtic to turn out, but there is still time for a positive coda at the conclusion of a miserable maiden campaign.
Hopes were high for both the player and his new club following his £3m move from Motherwell last August, a year after the initial transfer had been cancelled due to a knee problem that required surgery.
When the 21-year-old finally concluded the deal he did so with the stated aim of playing a major role in delivering a 10th successive league title to Parkhead. Neither has happened.
Their former manager Neil Lennon instead chose to use his recruit only sparingly in the first few months despite Celtic’s championship prospects growing ever dimmer by the week.
A rare start against Lille in the Europa League at the end of last year, when Turnbull set up Chrisopher Jullien for the opening goal and then scored the winning goal himself in a 3-2 victory, kickstarted his season, and he has become an established feature in their starting XI ever since.
Advertisement
Turnbull believes he is again back to his peak, when he was the standout performer in an exciting Motherwell side a few years ago.
“I would say I am getting back to that form,” he said. “Obviously I had the injury and then there were a tricky couple of months when I came in at Celtic, but since then I feel I have been doing great. I have been contributing to the team and I just want to keep doing that.”
Turnbull’s return to prominence could not salvage the wreckage of Celtic’s league campaign, but opportunity knocks once more in the form of the Scottish Cup. Having played in last year’s delayed final, when Hearts were beaten on penalties in December, Celtic could complete a unique double if they could lift the trophy twice in the same season.
First, though, they must find a way to navigate safe passage past Rangers at Ibrox in the fourth round on Saturday.
“I really didn’t expect the Scottish Cup from last season to get held back to this year but I was lucky enough to be involved in our win in that and it would be great to be involved in another final,” added Turnbull. “That was my first trophy as a professional footballer and, of course, it is something you always have dreamed of doing.
Advertisement
“At a club like Celtic there is a built-in drive to be winning trophies year in, year out, so it is just about looking for more and trying to land the next one.
“Everybody knows it has been a tough season for us and now the cup is the only thing left for us. So we will go to Ibrox, take the game to them, and do everything we can to get the win.
“It is always a tough game against Rangers — they have been great this season obviously. We will just need to go in and take confidence from the fact we were very good the last time we played them [a 1-1 Premier League draw last month] and hopefully take our chances. If we do that, I am sure we can get a result.”
Helping Celtic to retain the Scottish Cup would also likely improve Turnbull’s prospects on the international front. The midfielder doesn’t seem overly optimistic of pushing his way into Steve Clarke’s Scotland plans ahead of the European Championships, but he hasn’t entirely given up.
“Yeah, there is still a bit of hope there,” he said, somewhat unconvincingly. “There is hope for everybody. It is just about going out there, performing with my team the way I have been, keep putting in the performances, and hope that he [Clarke] takes notice.
Advertisement
“Having not been involved before, that would have been a great experience to have made the previous squad but you just need to take it on the chin and keep working hard and pushing to get that spot.
“I’ll continue to show him that I know what I am doing and given a chance, I will be ready.”