James McCarthy admits he lived his dream by making his Celtic debut and revealed he’s not too far away from being ready to start.
The midfielder came on as a late substitute in this afternoon’s 3-2 Premier Sports Cup victory over Hearts.
He replaced Tom Rogic in the 75th minute and while the Jambos pulled a goal back in stoppage time to half the deficit, they couldn’t spoil McCarthy’s big moment.
And the former Hamilton, Wigan, Everton and Crystal palace man is now targeting his full debut in the Hoops after getting a taste of it at Parkhead.
“It’s a dream come true,” he told Celtic TV. “I’ve said that from when I joined the club, it’s been a massive thing for me and the family.
“I’ve always wanted to play for Celtic, and coming out, and the reception I got, it’s one you dream of as a kid, and I’m delighted to be a part of it now, as I need to make sure the hard work continues now.”
“The most important thing was getting through to the next round of the cup, and we’ve done that. Obviously, it was nice to get some minutes for myself, with me not doing pre-season with all of the lads, so I’m still doing a wee bit of catch-up, but I'm getting there now.
“I’m definitely not far away and, as I said, the most important thing now is that we are through to the next round of the cup and we are looking forward to the next challenge during the week.”
