Boyhood Celtic fan Shane Duffy viewed the chance to win Ten In A Row as an opportunity of a lifetime.
But the dream is turning into a nightmare with his dodgy showing against Aberdeen doing little to silence an ever-increasing section of doubters among the Hoops faithful.
Followers of the Republic of Ireland national team swear by their skipper but it's evident something isn't clicking for the 28-year-old in the Premiership.
The gaffe that allowed Aberdeen in to make it 2-1 was a real shocker and illustrated a player bereft of confidence and clarity of thought.
But to Duffy's immense credit, he fronted up to his critics before the clash with the Dons and offered no excuses for his and his teammates displays during the defeats against Rangers and Milan.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "As players you have got to sort of put it behind you.
"Personally, my form has not been good at the minute.
"But I've been here before and I've just got to get my head around, get back to what I'm used to.
"I've had two bad games where it's not to my standards.
"I'm my biggest critic as well so I know it's not good enough.
"And I know the Celtic fans and my mates won't be happy with me.
"I know what I can bring to the table and it's much better than what I'm showing.
"I've just go to keep going, keep working hard and believing I can get back to the form I'm capable of."
Pundit Paul Hartley praised the stopper for his gutsy decision to front up despite his nightmare run since sealing a £2m season-long loan move from Brighton.
But the brutal reality is, and Duffy will be acutely aware of this himself, Celtic fans won't be in the mood to pardon him after he was directly involved in another gaffe-filled display.
Yes, Duffy shouldn't be knocked for doing the right thing but with the stakes so high, his act of contrition will only go so far.
And manager Neil Lennon - so supportive of his man - couldn't help but lay the blame at his backline following the dropped points at Pittodrie.
Having conviction is a prerequisite of starring for Celtic but cutting out the errors that are forcing him to hold his hands up in the first place are what will really define Duffy and his flagging Hoops career.
