CELTIC youngster Eoghan O'Connell has unshakeable belief in his ability to retain his place in an over-subscribed Hoops defence.
The 20-year-old centre-back made his Celtic debut against Ross County at Parkhead in March 2014, but progression was neither quick nor smooth and two loan spells at Oldham and home town club Cork City last season ended through ankle and groin injuries respectively.
Defenders Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic missed the start of this campaign through injury and, when Erik Sviatchenko picked up a groin complaint, it allowed O'Connell to impress new boss Brendan Rodgers and, although former Arsenal and Manchester City star Kolo Toure was added to the squad, the Cork man kept his place at the expense of Efe Ambrose.
O'Connell is certain to play in the Betfred Cup last-16 tie against Motherwell at Celtic Park on Wednesday night as Ambrose is suspended and Toure a doubt after playing his first 90 minutes of the season in the 2-1 win over Hearts at Tynecastle last Sunday. Left-back Kieran Tierney's shoulder knock renders him a doubt, while midfielder Stefan Johansen and Leigh Griffiths will also serve a one-game ban from last season.
But O'Connell is looking to keep his place even when Rodgers has all his players back: "Last year was a tough year for me, I had to keep going through injury twice, but I have always had that belief," he said.
"I made my debut three seasons ago and I have had the belief since then that I was ready to play if called upon and I felt that, when I was called upon, that I did quite well. Sometimes, it just doesn't happen like that, but I don't think you can ever lose that belief or that mentality.
"I certainly didn't lose belief and I didn't let it get me down. Yes, it was tough, but I kept going through it. I knew there was a chance when I came back for pre-season, so I worked as hard as I could and it has led to this. You have to have confidence and believe in yourself and, the games I have played so far, I have been happy with the way it went and I will look to continue.
"The manager said he trusts me and it is good that he has that faith in me to put me in. But I don't think I would be here if I wasn't ready to play. I didn't really get that chance when the previous manager [Ronny Deila] was here, but that's just football, that's the way it is and we move on from there."
Few at Celtic are better placed to assess O'Connell than first-team coach John Kennedy. The former centre-back also came through the youth set-up at Parkhead, before injury ultimately truncated his career. Kennedy believes it is down to O'Connell to show he deserves to keep his place.
"I have worked with him with a long time, I was here when we brought him here as a trialist," he said.
"He has developed, worked hard and is getting the reward for that. But it comes down to performances. The manager had no hesitation in putting him in. We could have rejigged things and played people out of position, but the time was right to put him in and he rewarded the manager and everyone else with his performances and it is up to him now to stay there for as long as he possibly can and, with players coming back from injury and Kolo coming in, there is a lot of competition there."
On the chance to progress into the quarter-finals of the Betfred Cup, Kennedy said: "We want to attack every competition and try to win every competition.
"This is the first one that comes about in the season, so we will put out as strong a team as we can and are going out to win the game."
