Calum Waters admits he had major doubts about himself when he was released from Celtic as a 20-year-old.
But four years later he was an integral part of a team that held the champions to a draw.
The left-back starred for Kilmarnock as he marked James Forrest and Jeremie Frimpong so well that they had little impact in the 1-1 draw at Rugby Park.
And he says it was the shot in the arm he needed as he battles to keep the starting jersey for Killie.
Speaking exclusively to the Kilmarnock Standard, he said: “I got released when I was 20, you need to be a top player to make it there.
“But playing against them and getting a good result definitely gave me a wee bit of satisfaction.
“I think everyone has doubts when they get released from somewhere, I certainly did.
“But the more experienced you get and the more you do it, you tell yourself that you can do it.
“Results like the one we got against Celtic are only going to benefit me.”
He added: “I thought we did really well, we definitely deserved a point at least.
“Big Nicke (Kabamba) was outstanding to be honest, he did really well.
“He got us up the park well, as a defender in a game like that you’re relying on the striker to get you up there and he did it brilliantly.
“The boys in the middle of the park were shutting everything off and did their job well.
“Celtic kind of ran out of ideas at the end because they just couldn’t break us down.”
When asked what it’s like defending against a team like Celtic, Waters said: “You’re constantly talking, you need to talk to the guy in front of you all the time.
“When you’re defending you have to be on your A-game, you have to be aggressive and get in their faces.
“But the talking part is crucial, there’s runners going everywhere so if you’re not communicating then it’s going to be a long afternoon.”
And Waters reckons rather than aiming for a season-long goal, Killie should take it game by game.
He said: “Hopefully we can get it, everyone is always saying about aiming for the top-six.
“But at the end of the day, if you take it week by week and aim to win every game then the season goals take care of themselves.
“I think we could have got a point against Hibs, it was a good performance, and then Sunday proved we can do it.
“But rather than focusing on a full season worth of goals, if we worry about each game then we will give ourselves a chance.”
