robson determined to maintain form

David Friel
BARRY ROBSON has revealed the fear of losing his place in the Celtic side has been one of the main reasons behind his outstanding recent form.

When Scott Brown started a three-game suspension in early April, Robson was handed the chance to play alongside Paul Hartley in central midfield.

The former Dundee United captain responded with a string of committed displays and has emerged as one of the driving forces behind Celtic’s title bid.

“There are a lot of players keeping good players out – not just me,” said Robson, who was named April’s Player of the Month on Friday. “We have a lot of good players on the bench, and even in the stand of late.

“It’s not just me. Every single position has fantastic players and we are capable of playing and winning. We all know that if we aren’t producing the goods, then we won’t be playing, so we have to keep up the standards.”

With his wholehearted style, Robson has quickly become a fans’ favourite at Celtic, but believes there is still more to come from him.

At 29, he is reaching his peak years and he is adamant that working under Gordon Strachan will enable him to develop as a footballer.

“The manager has been good to me,” he said. “He signed me and obviously thinks there is something in me, but I need to repay him and become a better player. I’ve got a lot to work on and hopefully I can do that.

“You develop all the time as a player. You learn more, you take more on board and I feel that I’ve got a lot of improvement still to come in my game.

“I feel that I’m improving as a player all the time. I’m learning a lot from the manager and I’m enjoying my time here.”

SPL leaders Celtic entertain Hibernian this Sunday, May 11 (kick-off 12.30pm), knowing that a win will ensure the title race will at least go to the final day of the season – on May 22, when Celtic play Dundee United and Rangers face Aberdeen.

“I always expected the title race to be tight,” said Robson. “Celtic and Rangers are two good sides and it’s great that we’ve got ourselves back in the race and put a bit of pressure on.

“All we can do now is concentrate on winning our own games and hopefully things will work out elsewhere. We just have to keep playing the way we are playing and try to grind out results. If we do that, we’ll have every chance.

“Sunday’s game will be tough. Mixu Paatelainen has come in and done a great job for Hibs. They are a good side and they will make things hard for us.

“But we’ve been working hard all week and looking at things that may help us on Sunday. Everybody is working hard and if we come flying out of the traps, we’ll have a good chance of winning.”