Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers is glad to be back in action as the cinch Premiership title run-in starts to hot up. The 26-year-old has been in and out of the squad with hamstring problems all season after missing the end of the previous campaign through knee surgery. He came on as a second-half substitute against Motherwell at Fir Park at the weekend after missing a month out with his most recent problem. Reinstated into the starting line-up against Dundee at Celtic Park on Wednesday night, Carter-Vickers began the rout of the Taysiders with the opening goal in a 7-1 thumping – his first counter since March last year – which kept Brendan Rodgers’ men two points behind league leaders Rangers.
The United States international said: “It’s been frustrating for myself being in and out with injuries. I’m hoping I can stay fit and help the team achieve things. I just did the rehab as well as I could. I got 30 minutes at the weekend plus 60 minutes against Dundee. So that helps. I’m hopefully building my way back into it. It’s the same hamstring, on the right side and same side as my knee. It’s probably the first time in my career that I’ve had a season like this where I’ve been injured so much. But I think if you’re looking to have a long career then you’re going to have a season like that or two. So you’ve just got to get on with it.”
Dundee plan big response
Ricki Lamie knows he and his Dundee team-mates face a big test of character on Saturday after their Celtic Park nightmare. However, the 30-year-old defender is taking some encouragement from their second-half display after conceding six goals in a horror first half on Wednesday night. Tony Docherty’s men were facing an utter humiliation at half-time so a 7-1 defeat was not the worst-case scenario by any means, especially after seeing Finlay Robertson sent off in the 76th minute. Ahead of Saturday’s visit of Kilmarnock, Lamie said: “At half-time, everybody talks about character and personality, it was personal pride really, for me anyway. The gaffer touched upon it, ‘go out and try and win the second half’. Again, it’s even harder again with 10 men. When they are five or six goals to the good, it’s probably fair to say they maybe weren’t as at it as they were in the first half, but I thought we showed a wee bit of personality. It’s just down to pride. You can come out and go through the motions, but to go out and ask a couple of questions, it was a great finish from Micky (Mellon). Not that it means a lot, but in terms of having that bit about us, I think that’s another positive to take on a poor night.”