Nir Biton enjoying ‘big honour’ of Forster record

FRASER Forster has rightly received a lot of plaudits for breaking Bobby Clark’s longstanding record for not conceding a goal in the league, but it would be foolish to disregard the part played by the Celtic back four.

Nir Biton: Found his feet after tough start. Picture: PA

On Saturday against Hearts, for example, the goalkeeper had almost nothing to do in the first half-hour, a period of relative inactivity for which he had his defence to thank.

And, as midfielder Nir Biton said after the champions’ 2-0 win, the team as a whole can take pride in the achievement. One lapse of concentration by any player could threaten an end to that 13-game run, but instead, they have all played their part in keeping it going.

“We knew it was very important for him, and it was very important for us to help him break the record,” Biton said. “I think this is a big honour for us as a team, to break this record, and for Fraser as well.

“All the time we think about that. The gaffer says all the time that it is something I need to think about. We just come to every game to prove ourselves and to play our best football and we just want to keep going.

“We knew before the game that it would be a tough one. We didn’t come here thinking it was going to be easy. We just tried to play our football, to move the ball quickly, and to try to do what we have done all season.”

The Israeli himself is playing his football with increasing confidence, having taken some time to become accustomed to the quicker tempo here since joining Celtic from Ashdod last August. “It’s taken me a couple of months to adapt to Scottish football, but I told everyone when I came here that I just need to settle in, because it’s a little bit different from what I’m used to in Israel. The football is a little bit different. I just try to do the best for my team and my team-mates and the coach who believes in me.

“It’s a big honour for me to play under this coach, because he played in my position and all the time he gives me advice and tells me what to do and what not to do. I’ve come to one of the best clubs in Europe.”

Celtic visit Aberdeen tomorrow night, having lost at home to Derek McInnes’s team in the Scottish Cup earlier this month. Biton believes it is important to ignore that result and any negative emotions arising from it.

“I learned that if you want revenge, it will not happen,” he said. “We just need to play our football, play like we have played all the season. It’s football, sometimes you win sometimes you lose, but at Celtic the main thing is to win and that’s what we want to do.”