Boyd eyeing success in Europe

Celtic veteran Tom Boyd claims it is time his club made their mark in the Champions League. The new Scottish champions have only had one shot at it in the past but fell at the final qualifying hurdle. That was in 1998 when they were beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Croatia Zagreb after seeing off St Patrick's Athletic in the first round. Now they will go straight to the final qualifying stage in next season's competition, although they are likely to be up against a seeded team from a top league.

Boyd was bullish about the prospect nonetheless. He insisted: "We didn't do ourselves justice the first time. I don't think we were as strong as we are now. The team is a lot stronger, and the manager is looking to strengthen it further." Rangers have made it to the lucrative group stages for the past two seasons and are set to try again as, for the first time in Scottish football, the runners-up enter the Champions League qualifiers instead of the UEFA Cup.

Their participation in previous group stages means they are likely to be given a more favourable draw, although they will have to play an extra game to reach the final qualifying stage. Boyd, who hopes to earn himself an extra year on a contract that expires in the summer, naturally sees it as a chance that must be taken by Martin O'Neill's all-conquering team who are now two-thirds of their way to the club's first domestic Treble since 1969.

He added: "We have got to get there first. We let ourselves down the last time. We have got to get there and make sure we do have a good shot at it. I think this club should be up there, and Rangers are the same. They have been in it and done it. I hope we can go that stage further this time."

That Celtic players are now dreaming of the Champions League is testimony to the way O'Neill has transformed their fortunes in his debut season. Boyd admitted: "I don't think anybody would have believed this time last year that we would have been champions and would have won it so convincingly. The new manager has come in and brought our pride back. He is without question the best Celtic manager I have played under in terms of what he says and what he does, and in terms of getting the best out of players."

A 5-1 November thrashing at Ibrox apart, there was never a time when Celtic looked likely to relinquish a lead at the top of the table that was earned by an exceptional start to the campaign, with no points dropped until October. Reflecting on the season, Boyd added: "You obviously have hopes at the start of the season that you will do well. Beating Rangers 6-2 in August was a good one, and we maintained that form right through the campaign. But I don't think there was any one game when we thought `that's it'. I suppose beating Rangers 1-0 in February gave us a big cushion, and that's what we had been looking for. The whole campaign has been absolutely fabulous."

Now Boyd is hoping the Scottish Cup can be added to the trophy haul and his new contract deal can be tied up. He said: "All this might not happen again for me, although I hope that's not the case. I hope the talk about me getting another year's contract will come about and I can get it done and dusted." (PA)

Filed by Shane Murray