David Turnbull keen to keep impressing after turning Celtic career around

David Turnbull hopes the only way is up for him at Celtic Park after reflecting on his Hoops turning point.

The £3million signing from Motherwell has been one of the few bright sparks amid a gloomy season for the fallen champions.

But the playmaker’s initial transition from Fir Park to Glasgow’s east end did not go as smoothly as the 21-year-old had hoped.

He was largely used as an impact sub during his first three months at the club, with former boss Neil Lennon affording him just one start.

But his stalling Hoops career was kick-started on his full European debut back in December as he struck a late winner against Lille to ensure Celtic could save some face after a miserable Europa League campaign.

Since then, Turnbull has emerged as a key man in the Parkhead ranks with seven goals and five assists.

Now he is determined to repay the fans who backed his inclusion even through his frustrating stint in the stands.

He told CelticTV: “I’m loving it. Ever since making my first (European) start for the club against Lille I’ve not looked back.

“I’ve loved every minute of it and I just want to continue doing that and keep impressing everybody.

“I did notice things turning for me. It was obviously a tough few months before that. I was in and out of the team.

“I knew I just had to bide my time as it is a strong squad.

“Once I played that Lille game, I loved it and wanted to keep my spot in the team and kick on from there.

“My confidence is high at the minute. I just want to keep creating and scoring as many goals as I can, help the team out and show the fans what I can do.

“Since I’ve started playing, even at Motherwell, I wanted to base my game on goals. A goalscoring midfielder can be hard to come by so I’m just trying to add that to my game every week.

“Wherever I’m put in, whether it’s a 10-role, deeper or out wide I enjoy doing it.

“It’s been great to see all the reaction to me on social media. I just want to repay the fans for the way they have cheered me on. I can’t thank them enough.”

There was disappointment for Turnbull when he was overlooked by Scotland boss Steve Clarke for this week’s World Cup qualifiers.

But he has refused to sulk and hopes to make up for the pain of the Hoops’ shattered 10-in-a-row dreams by leading the club to their fifth straight Scottish Cup triumph.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s third-round clash with Falkirk, he added: “It’s been a great week. There are a few boys missing because of the international fixtures but a few young boys have been training with us which has helped so the training has been good and high intensity.

“It’s been brilliant really, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

“You can’t drop your standards when the other boys are away. You need to keep working hard, look forward to the next game and train the way you want to play.

“Starting from this weekend, we need to go out and perform 100 per cent and I’m sure that’ll take us a long way.

“We can’t show any complacency. You’re only as good as your last game and we don’t know how good Falkirk are going to be. We just need to focus on our own game, go out and get a result.”