Sheridan"s stock continues to rise

Alan O"Mara sport@anglocelt.ie It has been a week to remember for Cavan man Cillian Sheridan as the rookie striker settled into Glasgow Celtic"s first team like a seasoned veteran. After making his Champions League debut against reigning champions Manchester United last Tuesday, the 19 year old Bailieborough man followed that up by opening his goal account on his full debut against Hibernian at the weekend in the SPL. Highly rated by the club"s staff, the target man has been knocking heavily on the door since a substitute appearance against Inverness Caledonian Thistle over a year ago but a series of injuries have held him back. Ironically, it is injuries to others that have gifted Sheridan his big opportunity and it is one which he is determined to take. Regular strikers Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Georgios Samaras have recently been sidelined and will linger on the treatment table for the foreseeable future. With two main forwards absent, Celtic struggled to trouble the Manchester United rearguard as the Glasgow outfit slipped to a disappointing 3-0 defeat. Sheridan, providing a different option with his physical presence and aerial prowess, was thrown in the deep end last Tuesday in front of approximately 78,000 at Old Trafford when he was sent on with 14 minutes remaining. And the talented youngster showed he is more than capable of staying afloat - as he brushed shoulders with household names such as Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney. 'It was really good to get a run out in Old Trafford - almost surreal. Before I went on he [Celtic manager Gordon Strachan] just told me to play the way I normally play and try my best to score but the game was probably beyond us at that stage. There was a brilliant atmosphere with it being a full house. Once you get onto the pitch though you forget about it and the 15 minutes flew past,' he said Coincidentally or not, Celtic seemed more potent in the final quarter and perhaps that"s the reason the manager elected to start with Sheridan at the weekend, despite his lack of experience. The adage "if you"re good enough ,you"re old enough" rang true for the former Cavan minor star when, 36 minutes into his first ever start for the Hoops, he expertly rounded the keeper and rolled the ball into the net from an acute angle to repay his managers faith. Celtic eventually wrapped up the contest 4-2, with the Irish youth international staying on the field until the final whistle. Speaking exclusively to the Anglo Celt, Sheridan could not hide his joy. 'A long pass came down the field and [Scott] McDonald dummied it and let it run to me,' he explained. 'I took it past the keeper and just made sure I got it on target. I was just so relieved. It"s the first time in four or five months that I played a whole game, so I was delighted to get that. ' 'It"s much easier playing upfront with someone. Scottie tends to go short, which suits because I stay long. The two Hibs centre backs were massive, but I knew I was quicker than them, so I just kept running the channels.' After the game, Strachan was understandably pleased Sheridan nabbed his first goal for the club. 'I like the fact that he is tall and he is the only tall striker that we"ve got! It"s maybe a wee bit early for him because I don"t know if he had played 10 reserve games for the full 90 minutes and he has been here for a year and a half now.' 'We needed to build him up because he was raw and he still needs a bit of work but he gave us what we needed: power and a threat behind their defence,' said the Scotsman. Sheridan admitted that he was delighted to 'get some pressure off his shoulders' following his first goal for the Celtic first team last Saturday. 'I knew on Thursday I"d be playing, so I had plenty of time to get my head around it,' he told The Anglo Celt. 'It was just brilliant to score. It got some pressure off my shoulders. I had four or five sub appearances before that without scoring, so it was good to score, especially since I was on from the start.' Given his recent achievements, the ex Bailieborough Shamrocks clubman is sure to have caught the attention of those involved with the Irish set-up. Surprisingly he has yet to represent his country at Under 21 level but that is something he hopes to change in the near future. 'I"ve been really unlucky with Ireland and have missed out on a few Under 21 squads through injury. For now though I just want to play more games with Celtic, stay fit, get a few more games and a few more goals and keep working hard,' he added.