Greg Taylor admits Celtic’s Premier Sports Cup win will be equally important for the players who endured a barren season and the new arrivals who were looking to kick-start their Parkhead careers.
Manager Ange Postecoglou and a number of Hoops players got their first winners’ medal at the first attempt as Celtic beat Hibernian 2-1 at Hampden, including double goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi.
Taylor was part of Celtic’s treble-winning squad in the Covid-disrupted 2019-20 season but endured a barren campaign last time out as the Hoops saw their 10-in-a-row hopes crumble.
That was a memory that was utilised in the build-up to Sunday’s final.
“We touched on that, last year was disappointing for the boys who were there, and we didn’t want to have a season like that again,” Taylor said.
“The club is built on success and we didn’t manage to do that last year.
“The amount of new players that have come in, they didn’t know what they were coming into and to get the first trophy of the season for them is massive.
“This club is built on success so trophies are a part of that.
“But I would also say the trophy has only come because of the way we perform. We are not chasing results. Of course in a cup final you chase the result but we are chasing performances.
“And if we continue to reach the levels the gaffer wants us to then hopefully more success can be brought back.”
Celtic will need to come down quickly from their Hampden triumph as they face St Mirren in Paisley on Wednesday with a seven-point deficit on cinch Premiership leaders Rangers to work away at over the festive period.
Taylor said: “We talked about creating our own history built on what the other legends of this club have done before. We won’t look too far ahead to other trophies right now.
“We have got four games before the winter break and we will focus on them and hopefully go again after that.”
Postecoglou declared his pride in his players after overcoming adversity in recent months, most recently centred around a string of injuries.
Midfielder David Turnbull became the latest player to suffer a hamstring problem during the first half at Hampden with James Forrest, Albian Ajeti and Jota still absent and the likes of Furuhashi, Tom Rogic and Carl Starfelt having recently had lay-offs with the same problem.
Other players have suffered lay-offs too including Taylor, who missed a large chunk of the season with a shoulder injury.
Taylor believes the final victory will be savoured by the whole squad given the collective effort.
“The whole squad has been important, especially in this period,” the 24-year-old said.
“We have had a lot of injuries and boys have come in when they have not played much football and everyone has played their part.
“Everyone can be proud of their performance throughout these last few months because it has not been a steady 11, there have been injuries.
“That’s down to the gaffer, he has well-drilled us in the way we want to play. So everyone knows their role and knows it’s an opportunity when they get it.
“Hopefully the injuries can calm down because we could do with a few bodies back.
“Winning brings you closer, so Sunday was a nice moment for everyone to share.”
