CELTIC striker John Guidetti gave his dad the perfect birthday present by scoring his first goal for Celtic on the eve of his special day.
The Hoops hit-man smashed home a left-footed volley in the first half against Hearts in the third round of the Scottish League Cup to send the Celts on their way to a comfortable 3-0 victory and into the quarter-final draw, where they face a Glasgow derby against Partick Thistle.
The Swedish striker said it was the best way to thank the Hoops fans for their support and to say happy birthday to his dad, Mike.
“It felt fantastic to score,” he said. “It’s what I’ve been missing for a long time and it was great to win too. The feeling you have after scoring and the team has won is a feeling I have missed and I enjoy a lot.
“It’s a great moment for me as it’s my dad’s birthday on Thursday.
“Sometimes you miss the easy ones and score the difficult ones. I knew I had to hit the ball well and if I could find a small space then it would be an important goal against a good side.
“I played Hearts in pre-season with Manchester City and they are not a bad team.”
Guidetti’s goal opened the game up for Celtic and gave them a foothold in the match after what had been a nervy first 15 minutes.
Hearts pressed well and played with the confidence that their Championship pole position merited but once Guidetti scored, the Hoops began to control the game.
He added that it was important for him personally to score goals but he was more pleased to see Celtic win and progress to the quarter-final.
“This is football,” he said. “I did well to get the first chance and I knew that because I missed that, I knew the second was even bigger but that just gets my confidence higher.
“This is Celtic Football Club and it’s about winning trophies for Celtic. If I had played a good game and we won but I didn’t score then I’m happy.
"Of course you want to score but it’s about winning trophies and Celtic being on top because this is a team, and these are fans that deserve to win.
“I’m linking well with Kris, Stokesy and Scotty and I think it will get even better. It was important for me to score here at Celtic Park. It’s for the fans that I do it.
“I think they make the whole thing. It’s a world of difference. For me to give back to them has been great. The reception I get is fantastic and it warms my heart very much and I want to give back to them.”
And even though he was sky-high from scoring for Celtic, Guidetti still knew his place in the team when a penalty was awarded to Celtic in the second half.
He added: “Kris Commons is the penalty-taker and as long as I can help to get penalties for the team and Kris puts them away I’m happy. He’s the penalty taker and I respect that.”
