Celtic’s Adam Matthews keen on silverware

Celtic full-back Adam Matthews warms up before yesterdays Family Fun Day. Picture: SNS

Matthews is set to return from a two-month absence from a hamstring injury when Celtic receive the Clydesdale Bank Premier League trophy following their last home game of the season against St Johnstone on Saturday.

The Welshman, who has not played since Celtic’s Champions League defeat by Juventus in Turin on 6 March, is also hoping to be back to his best form for the William Hill Scottish Cup final against Hibs at the end of the month.

He said: “I’ve been training for the last couple of days and today so I will hopefully be fit for the weekend.

“I’m looking forward to the Scottish Cup final and hopefully I can stay fit and won’t get a recurrence of the injury.

“We won the league a couple of weeks ago and we have all been looking forward to getting the trophy.

“It will be great to get presented with it in front of our home fans. I’m sure it will be a full house to see us lift it.

“The fans have been brilliant all season and I’m sure there will be a party atmosphere but we have got to win the game first.”

Celtic have rested players in their last two games, a defeat by Motherwell and yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Ross County, after clinching the title. But the early holidays are over and Celtic are looking to increase their intensity before facing Hibs in the cup final on 26 May.

Matthews, who trained with his team-mates at Celtic Park yesterday in front of thousands of families at the club’s open day, said: “We have had a great season so far.

“The Champions League has been brilliant and we have comfortably won the league so hopefully we can do the double, which would be great for us and the fans.

“It’s a big game against Hibs and you want to win every tournament you are in. We are 100 per cent focused on what we need to do and hopefully we can get the win.”

Celtic last night described their Family Fun Day as a “great success”, saying that around 15,000 supporters turned up to watch the players train.

Throughout the afternoon, various first-team players were interviewed at the side of the pitch and signed autographs for fans, while Matthews even gave those in attendance a musical treat with his now familiar singing performance.