Joe Chalmers only scratched the first team surface at boyhood heroes Celtic, but the Ross County midfielder will forever cherish his Parkhead upbringing.
Chalmers, who is from Cambuslang, was the pride of his Hoops-supporting family as he made his way through the youth ranks from the age of nine.
Chalmers was given a brief glimmer of first team action by Neil Lennon – who Chalmers will face in tomorrow’s Premiership match – when the Hoops boss handed him three appearances during the 2012-13 campaign.
Following a loan stint with Falkirk the 25-year-old was released by Celtic in 2014 however, with his summer switch to County this summer following spells with Motherwell and Caley Thistle.
Chalmers credits the Glasgow outfit with instilling traits which have helped him to bounce back from the setback.
He said: “I think I got the best upbringing from football in terms of learning and coaching, and facilities by coming through there.
“I wouldn’t change that from anything – it gave me the best grounding I could get.
“It’s everything they do – it’s not just about on the park.
“They expect you to carry yourself a certain way off the park, and if you’re not doing that you would be pulled up on it and told that.
“Overall, as a person and as a footballer, it was a brilliant place to play football.
“We travelled across the world from a young age playing in these tournaments against the best teams.
“I know how tough it is to make it, but I would never change it.
“Neil Lennon was the manager who gave me those couple of chances, so I’m always grateful for that.
“I played a couple of games, which was everything I ever dreamed about when I was a wee boy.
“I’m forever grateful for getting that opportunity.”
Chalmers expects the Staggies will need to catch Lennon’s all-conquering Hoops side off guard in order to end a wait of six years for a league victory against the Premiership champions tomorrow.
Chalmers added: “They are obviously on fire in Europe and domestically. If Celtic were to have an off-day, you just never know, but you’ve got to be impressed with their consistency. They are playing every midweek and every weekend, when they are under pressure to win every game.
“Mentally and physically – that’s why these boys are playing at that level, because they can cope with it.
“I have come up against them a few times at Motherwell, and at the start of this season as well.
“There have been a few times without any success, but hopefully this time coming we can get a result.”
Chalmers was part of a County side which was hammered 6-0 when the Dingwall men travelled to Glasgow last month, with the former Scotland under-21 international keen to put that experience behind him.
He added: “From any defeat, you have got to try and learn.
“You can be disappointed, but if you learn from it sometimes it’s not the worst thing in the world that can happen.
“We feel we didn’t do ourselves justice that day. We think we are a better team than we showed, and we are all desperate to show we are better than that.
“Sunday is a good opportunity for that. The one thing we will do is give it our best shot and hope that’s good enough.”
