Ryan Fulton went from hero to zero in the few seconds it took for a Callum McGregor shot to squirm through his hands on his last outing at Celtic Park.
Painfully for the big Hamilton keeper, waiting for the chance to exorcise that ghost has taken much longer – a year and a half to be precise – due to a horror injury which saw him needing to have his thigh rebuilt.
Now the big Scouser is hoping to finally bury the cruelest year and a half of his career when he returns to Celtic Park for the curtain-raiser in just 18 days’ time.
Fulton had kept the champions at bay with a series of brilliant saves in the opening 40 minutes of that Parkhead clash in January 2019.
Unfortunately the game is remembered for two bloopers either side of the interval which ended Accies’ hopes of stealing a point from Celts.
The keeper, who came through the ranks at Liverpool, was consoled by his former gaffer Brendan Rodgers at the end.
But matters only got worse for the 24-year-old when he tore his quad muscle a few games later.
Then, just as he was ready to make his playing return earlier this year, the coronavirus crisis stopped him dead in his tracks.
Fair to say then the keeper is due a positive break.
And he hopes it can come when the curtain goes up on the new campaign at Parkhead.
Asked if he saw it as a chance to bury the Celtic Park memory, Fulton said: “Definitely. I want to do it for myself more than anything and also for the club.
“Hamilton have been brilliant through my injuries and made sure I get the best care. I have been here three years now and I want to get out there and play, hopefully I can give something back to the club.
“Hopefully I can earn a start for the opening game.
“The last time at Celtic Park was completely mixed emotions for me. It was only my third game back in and I was feeling like I was starting to get the feel for it again. But such is the life of a goalkeeper. It can be a lonely place at times.
“I’d made a few good saves early on and I try to look at the positives more than the negatives. You have to put these things to one side.
“Brendan pulled me aside after the final whistle and he is one of the best man-managers you could meet. I was lucky to have a couple of years under him at Liverpool.
“I was only third choice but I saw first-hand how he dealt with players. He gives you comfort and reassurance. He told me to forget the mistakes and look at what I did well in the game.
“When I was at Liverpool I worked with Simon Mignolet and learned from him how to deal with setbacks.
“He was so good, so professional with huge pressure on his shoulders. He was so strong and you learn lots from characters like that.”
Former Scotland Under-21 ace Fulton returned with a 45-minute run-out against Rangers in last Friday’s friendly.
Now he’s desperate to nail down the No.1 shirt at Accies with Owain Fon Williams and Kyle Gourlay also eyeing up the gloves.
He said: “It was good to get my eye in even though I never had much to do. It’s been a long year or so but it’s actually been a bit of a blessing because I’d been having problems with my thigh for years and hopefully now it’s sorted and I can move forward and stay fit.”
Accies will run out at an empty Celtic Park and Fulton reckons Brian Rice’s men can use that in their favour.
He said: “The crowd is one thing but you are still in the stadium and still getting the feel for it.
“It’ll be worse for Celtic as they sometimes get a lift from their fans. The pressure is on them because of 10 in a row – hopefully it can work in our favour.”
