As Matt O’Riley smacked a right-footed shot into the top right corner to put Celtic into the lead in the 3-1 win over St Johnstone, one thing came to mind.
Nothing to do with the quality of the build-up or strike, nor anything to do with the fact that it gave the Hoops the lead for the first time in a tight match in Perth.
But as the Denmark internationalist pulled away in celebration, it was his years of practising Pilates that shot into his head.
Explaining himself, he said: “I surprised myself a bit after I hit it. I just swung my right foot and saw the ball go in which was nice – it’s the best I’ve scored with my right.
“My first thought after it went in was how stable I felt in my body and that’s a result of a lot of the Pilates I have been doing outside of the club as well, so it’s nice to see these things come together.
“I just felt very stable over the ball. I have practised with my right foot and I feel more stable and effective and if I can add that to my game it will make an effect.
‘I started Pilates ages ago when I was younger at Fulham when I had some back problems but more recently I have got back into it over the last year.’
“It helps with injury prevention, just general stability on the pitch to protect the ball from someone, feeling more balanced and robust, so loads of effects.
“I’ve tried to do it from a young age because I think it’s important to have a long career and I want to play for a young time.”
The goal summed up everything good about Celtic in the second-half of the match, as they returned after the interval with an intensity with and without the ball to grab three goals and three points.
The manager spoke post-match of his disappointment at half-time as his team trailed 1-0 and O’Riley feels his reaction was the wake-up call needed.
He said: “We played too slow without any intensity in our pressing and it was justified with what he said.
‘The reaction was good in the second-half but hopefully, it doesn’t need to happen again.’
“He’s the one that can see the game from a bigger perspective and he knows what’s right.
“He’s been around in football for a long time so I’m sure he knows what to say and when to say it and we took the message on board in the second-half.
“It’s a busy month with game after game and you need to be at it.
“When you play for a club like Celtic it’s important to let go of previous games and move very quickly on to the next one.”
Hibernian come to Celtic Park on Wednesday night for the first time this season, but it’s the second time the sides have met following the 0-0 draw in Edinburgh in October.
O’Riley is excited to be back on home soil this midweek and is looking for a similar response to Sunday’s second-half showing in Perth.
He added: “It’s another chance to react and respond and it’s nice it’s a home game.
“It’s a game we should go into trying to win and we are capable of doing that.
“It’s a tough period because it’s colder and naturally pitches aren’t as good but that’s where the mentality of being relentless every single game comes in and if we approach games in the right manner we will be okay.”
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