IJjgp
1 zcas set
to play for
Holland
then, in
the last
training
session, I
pulled my
hamstring
give you a little present to mark the
occasion and it was hard for me to
watch others getting theirs when I
knew I should have been there too.
"But they were all great and just
told me to work away because my
time would come soon enough."
Reassuring though the words of
Kluivert and co may have been, the
Dutch players themselves will know
only too well that they will have been
small comfort to a player robbed not
only of his international debut but
also of a second crack at Ajax.
Having shone so brightly in the first
leg, Petta will this evening have to be
content with cheering his team-mates
on from the stands as they go about
finishing the job he helped start in
Amsterdam.
However, although more than a
little depressed at missing out on so
many big games for both club and
country, the Hoops winger admits that
the prospect of playing in Champions
League is something that will spur
him on in his bid for fitness.
And as he set himself a target of
being back for the group stages, he
pleaded with his fellow Celtic team
mates: 'Get there for me, Bhoys!'
He said: "At the moment I'm pretty
down about missing the next few
games with Celtic. There are some
vital matches coming up and, with so
many good players ready to take your
place, you never want to miss out.
"All you can do is try to stay fit but,
when something like this happens, you
just have to get on with it and support
the boys who come into the side.
"It should be okay because we've
got Steve Guppy, Stephen Crainey
and Jamie Smith there, all of whom
can give us options on the left side.
"There's a good squad of players
and I'm sure that the lads will do well
without me tonight. The result in
Amsterdam was terrific and now they
have to come here and attack.
"The good thing is we can use that
to our advantage if we play our own
game well and keep it tight at the back.
"I'd love to play in the Champions
League. Right now, all I can do in the
gym is work on my upper body and
do some weights but I'll soon be
picking that up and doing some
leg work. I'm looking at a couple of
weeks before I can start playing again
and then it's just a case of making sure
that the hamstring is alright."
As he works towards recovering
fitness, everyone save perhaps
potential European foes will be
wishing Bobby all the very best.
page 11
